The Courage To Love

  ***

  Watching her turn back to him, Fionn noticed she seemed to be in a mild shock. Her skin had become even paler and there was the slightest hint of purple in her lips as if her body wasn’t taking in enough oxygen. He admired the stark beauty of her face with the tell-tale pale blond hair that she streaked an unnatural pink. Olivia Grey was the spitting image of her father. Yet her overall presence was at odds with her rebellious hair and reminded him of innocence. She wore a grey fitted sleeveless dress that showed her beautifully sculpted arms and slim body. He felt his body respond to her and ruthlessly suppressed the unwelcome desire.

  Anger for Oliver’s obsessive secrets and carelessness sharply pieced his gut until he used his iron control to banish the motorcycle accident from his mind. He had a mission. He needed to convince this emotionally disconnected, innocent girl to attend the funeral. Not for the family. They would have no interest in seeing her. He needed her consent to change the allocation of shares or Grayson Lynch would come crashing down, evaporating all of his hard won plans for acquiring the company he helped to build.

  “Even though the media is reporting that Oliver was my father, it doesn’t mean that it is true. He was married at the time and my mother never mentioned him.” Her words bothered him.

  Did she really doubt that she was his daughter? Even though her cool image was already seared into his mind, Fionn found it hard to look away. He was both fascinated and repulsed by her. She looked nothing like her mother, but had undoubtedly inherited her attention seeking and opportunistic nature. Why else would she be drawing this out?

  Fionn stepped closer to her and noticed that she retreated slightly. “Oliver’s attorney has a copy of your birth certificate along with photographs of your father with you shortly after your birth and correspondence from your mother clearly indicating that you are in fact his daughter. If that is not enough, there are also copies of DNA testing from when you were a baby proving paternity.”

  Fionn thought she looked like she might faint and reached out to steady her, and was shocked by the electric current that sparked between them. He preferred tall, dark-haired career women who challenged him intellectually yet expected nothing beyond a temporary relationship. Oliver’s daughter was not his type at all. She seemed ice cold and rigid, and probably believed she was royalty.

  Olivia looked down, “Even if he was my father, he never made any attempt to reach out to me or play even a minor role in my life. My mother provided for me financially.”

  Did she not understand who her father was? She had been raised in a strange, sheltered existence but she must understand how wealthy she was about to become.

  “Your mother was penniless. The money you thought came from your mother’s estate actually has been coming from Oliver all of these years. The flow of money is well documented.”

  Her complete lack of knowledge about her father disturbed him. He needed her to be aware of all of the complexities of wealth and loyalty or the press would manipulate her or his adversaries would seek the upper hand. If that wasn’t enough given the opportunity, her step-mother would demolish her.

  Olivia shook her head. “My mother was a famous opera singer and worked all of the time.”

  “Even at the height of her career, your mother lived beyond her means.” Fionn didn’t understand why she needed to question everything. Wasn’t it enough to find out she was now an heiress?

  Glancing around the showroom, he took in all the working parts. At least she had a recognizable skill and wasn’t just a superficial party girl.

  “I cannot possibly attend the funeral.” Olivia said as she held his gaze.

  “Who your father was will have an impact on you. As you are aware, someone has leaked your birth certificate to the media so there is no going back. You’ll need protection. Oliver was an immensely powerful and high profile figure.” Fionn contemplated if she would become an adversary or not. If she knew who her father was, she was a formidable actress. But even if she had no idea of his existence before today, she must have an inkling of the tremendous wealth that would now be at her disposal.

  “I’m not going,” Olivia said.

  He noticed the rigidness of her spine and the intensity in her eyes and decided to change tactics. “We can’t continue to discuss this here. Can you gather what you need and I’ll take you home?”