The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride

Chapter Four

Roxanna took a long sobering breath before she pressed her hand to the handle and opened the door. She took in the sight of her stepmother and her stepsister, both dressed to impress, one in a sharp two piece skirt set and matching heels, blush color. The other was dressed in a mini dress and heels.

“You’re looking well Eve, is that the new Valerie Hempsen collection?” Roxanna said sarcastically and took a seat and her desk and spun a pen idly in her hand. She forced a smile.

“To what do I owe this sudden visit?”

“Eight companies have canceled their contracts with us for this company!”

Roxanne shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t you mean canceled their contract with my father? After all you do little more than spend my father’s money, right?” Lorraine was seething and her reserved facade was cracking.

“Roxie be reasonable! At this rate you’ll ruin the company! Besides how in the hell did you of all people end up running your own company? Who have you bedded to get in this position?!” Eve was actively yelling at this point. Roxanne couldn’t help but laugh.

“You two are obviously very dim. I’ll have you know I didn’t sell myself to get control of a company, unlike you Lorraine. Two months after you kicked me out, I went to Los Angeles to see my mother. She was diagnosed with cancer and died during treatment two months later. She left me everything and I used the money she left to start my own business venture. In the last three years I have been very successful. I even named the business Monet, because Allison Monet was twice the woman and four times the mother that you ever were or will ever be.” Roxanna said coldly.

“How dare you! I’m only asking you to do the right thing you ungrateful little wretch!”

“Oh. That’s rich coming from you. I won’t rest until I get a formal apology from you and my father for disinheriting me, and slandering my good name. If you want to go to war with me Lorraine, you better bring something better to the table. We are not in the same league. Now the two of you kindly see yourselves out before I have security do it for me.”

She could almost see smoke coming from Lorraine as she and Eve stomped out of her office and breathed a soft sigh of relief for the moment. It seemed that they haven’t found out about her executive meeting that afternoon. Well, Roxanna thought to herself… The plot thickens.

“Mother! I will not marry Eve! She is a vile creature. If I agree to choose my own wife, despite status will you give me your agreement that you will stop this nonsense?”

Rosalyn Ross simply sighed. She wanted to marry her sons well, and not just to anyone. Her sons were elite members of society, and not just any unknown woman would do.

“Keiran… is this about the Moonlight Masquerade party five years ago? That girl you spent time with, no one knows who she is! You’re being ridiculous!”

“Mom… please.” Rosalyn looked at the pathetic look on her son’s face and nearly caved. She threw her hands up.

“Keiran Xavier Ross, you’re impossible! All for some girl you barely know! What about Eve? She’ll be heartbroken!” Rosalyn said with an exasperated sigh.

“Mom, isn’t there any way you will reconsider?” Keiran pleaded.

“I’ll push everything back for a month. If you find this girl and everything checks out, I’ll cancel the engagement. If you can’t, you will marry Eve and fulfill your duties to the letter!”

Keiran thought this over, mulling it over in his head and finally agreed. He will find her, he had a sinking suspicion that he had seen her recently as well. Keiran kissed his mother on the cheek and thanked her properly. He had some things to check on at work, but after that? The search begins.

Keiran arrived at the Ross Company a little over an hour later. He took an elevator to the appropriate floor. His mind was clouded with thoughts. He could remember everything about her, the softness of her skin, the soft melody that was her voice… Her hair, that fell like gentle waves when it wasn’t pinned up. Keiran Ross did not believe in love at first sight, but he was definitely at a loss and wanted nothing to do with any other women since that night.

Keiran sat at his desk and poured through the files that needed his immediate attention, when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!”

“I have some interesting news bro.” Aaron answered as he came into the office and shut the door.

Keiran was hoping it was news about the woman… What was her name again? Roxie? Or something another? He was pulled away from his thoughts as Aaron continued the story, excitement spread across his youthful face.

“My buddy did some investigating on the girl from yesterday, gave him a picture I stole from the security footage at the hospital…. Well this woman does in fact have a name. Her name is Roxanna Lockhart. The Disinherited child of Corbin Lockhart and Allison Monet. She was on the guest list for the Masquerade five years ago and about.. nine or ten months later she was kicked out of the Lockhart family entirely. I suspect it has something to do with the hospital stay five years ago, pulling the medical history wasn’t easy either. Anyway, Roxanna gave birth to a little girl, the Lockhart family threw her out but a divorced Allison was still living in Los Angeles, Roxanna went out to see her. Unfortunately Miss Monet died a couple of months later. A few months after that Monet Enterprises and Pharmaceuticals was born out of nowhere.”

“She started that company all on her own?” Keiran asked, intrigued.

“Indeed, she inherited a hefty sum of money from her mother, and named the company after Miss Monet. There is a major complication though… Corbin is her father, that would make Lorraine and Eve… her stepmother and stepsister.”

“If the timing of everything is legitimate that little girl could be mine, which means they threw her out after she had her, which also means they have been shoving Eve at me because Roxanna is out of the picture for them?”

Aaron nodded. “Roxanna probably never came forward or tried to find you because of them or because she didn’t want to alert her family or cause us any kind of scandal.”

Keiran thought it over. “Get me a meeting with Roxanna. I’ve decided that our company is going to make a contract with Monet.”

Aaron chuckled and agreed. He picked up his phone and got ahold of their business assistant.

“Mr. Ross would like to start a project with Monet, he would like to set up a meeting, set that up for us, won’t you beautiful?” He said teasingly.

Hannah laughed a little over the phone and agreed. “Of course, Mr.Ross.”