From Riches To Redemption

Two

“I have the report ready from the fund-raiser. Accounting just brought it to me.”

Morgan looked up from her computer to see her assistant, Vanessa, coming into her office with a manila folder in her hand. “That was quicker than I expected.”

Vanessa handed over the file. “I’ll let you know when your next appointment arrives,” she said before slipping back out to her desk.

Morgan opened the folder and her brows lifted in surprise as she saw the bottom line. Given that the event had run for less than a third of its usually scheduled time, she hadn’t expected them to raise as much money. They’d never even gotten around to the silent auctions. The family hardly had time to circulate through the crowd and stir up donations. She’d already been planning a contingency for this year’s project, narrowing the scope significantly. Considering she had to work with Southern Charm, a part of her would’ve been okay with cancelling it entirely.

Instead, they’d actually raised more. Apparently, cancelling an event for television-worthy drama in their family made their guests and donors feel bad. And when rich people felt bad, they tended to write a check to feel better again.

Actually, they’d raised enough to build at least three houses in the community this year. And that was just in the month since the event. More funds could still roll in during the next few weeks. Last year, they’d only raised enough for two houses and that had been their all-time high.

That was one bright spot in the dark drama that had plagued her recently. Finding out she had been switched at birth was a major revelation. The news had just come to light and yet, if you asked Morgan, it felt like years since she found out the truth. That sort of news could shift your whole perception of the world. Especially when you realized that your whole life was a mistake.

Normally, time flew by. She lived a pretty busy life, pouring almost all her energy into the family company and its continued success. When she wasn’t at the office, she was at the gym trying to work off the stress and the extra pounds that clung to her hips. She’d always longed for the naturally slender figure of her mother, but instead, her weight was just another item on a list of things that weighed heavily—pun intended—on her mind. But even then, nothing could have prepared her for everything that had happened in her life since that night.

Now, Morgan couldn’t even look in the mirror without seeing some imposter looking back at her. How could she have been so blind all these years to the things that were plainly visible to anyone who bothered to look? There was no way she was a Steele. She’d always had a different appearance from the rest of her family—the dark one among a sea of blonds—but it had never registered in her mind what that really meant before the truth came out.

Now she wondered what her parents had really thought all those years. Had her father believed Morgan was the child of an affair with a dark-haired man? Had they thought a recessive gene had come through? They certainly hadn’t guessed their real baby girl had been switched with an imposter in the maternity ward or she wouldn’t be almost thirty with the last name Steele. Her family would’ve marched back to the hospital and handed over their changeling the minute they suspected something was wrong.

Even after the truth had come out, there wasn’t much they could do. At least at first. The news had come in a double whammy on the night of the charity event: not only had she been switched at birth, but also, the real Steele daughter—Jade Nolan—had just been kidnapped from the steps of their mansion. There was no time to process the impact of the realization. All they could do was dig up ten million dollars to pay the ransom demands.

Morgan had never seen her father that shade of sickly pale before. Not even the night he burst into her honeymoon cabin. Then, he’d been furious. The latest news just seemed to make him heartsick. Even so, he sprang into action in true Steele CEO form. The money was paid, Jade was found safe and the kidnappers had disappeared without a trace. That left a sudden silence where everyone was now absorbing what this news really meant.

Morgan still wasn’t sure what would come of all this. Her whole life, her whole identity, had been tied up in being Morgan Steele. The perfect daughter. The baby of the family. Spoiled and doted upon by her parents and her older brothers. Rich. Well-educated. Poised. The ideal member of the family to represent the Steele Tools outreach program. That identity wouldn’t change overnight, no matter what the DNA tests said. It would take time to come to terms with it all.

In the meantime, she woke up most mornings feeling lost. Who was she, really? Who would she have been if she hadn’t been switched in the nursery that day? It was too soon to know all the answers yet, but the time she’d spent with Jade and her parents had been enlightening enough. She certainly wouldn’t have gotten a private school education or gone on to study at Georgetown University. She wouldn’t have gotten a Mercedes convertible for her sixteenth birthday or a two-month trip through Europe as a high school graduation present. Her real parents couldn’t afford all that. Morgan had grown up with every luxury that should’ve been Jade’s to enjoy.

Then again, if they hadn’t been switched, then perhaps Morgan would’ve been free to live her life the way she wanted to. That was one luxury she could never afford, no matter how big her investment portfolio got.

At this point, she supposed she should be happy that her family hadn’t turned their backs on her. This had been their chance to wash their hands of her, and they hadn’t. Although she had the reputation of being the perfect princess of the family, it certainly wasn’t because she was without flaws. She was fairly sure she regularly disappointed her parents in one way or another. Not intentionally, but it still happened.

Seeing Jade with her flawless skin, white-blond hair and big dark eyes—almost a clone of her mother, Patricia Steele—made her feel like even more of a disappointment. She imagined that even bound on the floor of the dirty warehouse where they’d found her, Jade was more like the ideal Steele daughter than Morgan would ever be.

She’d only been able to spend a little time with Arthur and Carolyn Nolan, and only in a group setting, but it made her wonder if she would feel more comfortable with her biological family. Perhaps they would be so happy to spend time with their real daughter that their expectations would be lower. Perhaps they wouldn’t care that she wasn’t a perfect size two or that she’d eloped in college with a poor boy she’d loved more than anything. Maybe they would’ve supported her choices instead of erasing them.

Or maybe she was imagining a perfect situation that had never existed and never could have existed. If she’d been raised as Jade Nolan, she probably wouldn’t have met River at that bar in Five Points. Her life would’ve taken a different path. But there was no going back and no sense worrying about things like that.

A chiming sound came from her computer, accompanied by an instant message from her assistant. Miss Steele, your four o’clock appointment is here, she wrote.

Speak of the devil.

Morgan took a deep breath. And then there was that situation to deal with. It was a horrible thing to say, but the kidnapping had been a welcome distraction from River and his unexpected appearance. As though she didn’t already have enough going on in her life, he had to pop up out of nowhere. In one night—at one party, even—her past had caught up with her in more ways than one.

Now, her ex-husband was sitting just outside her office, ready to talk about how they were going to spend the summer together. She could hardly even imagine how she was going to get through this.

Morgan wanted to back out. She’d build six houses next year to make up for it. But she knew that wouldn’t fly. They’d already announced their partnership with Southern Charm Construction. If they didn’t go through with it, it would raise questions. Questions no one wanted to answer. Besides, if she made a fuss, her father would get involved and that was the last thing she wanted.

If Trevor Steele had taught her nothing else, it was that a Steele stayed poised and professional at all times—even in the face of scandal or disaster. So that was all she could do.

Send him in, she replied to her assistant’s message. Then she locked her computer screen and prepared herself for another argument. There was no way they wouldn’t be finishing what they’d started the other night. If they were going to work together, they needed to clear the air once and for all.

The door swung open and standing in the doorway was River. Today, he’d traded in his tuxedo for a navy suit, but it looked just as amazing on him. He’d found an excellent tailor, she’d give him that. The jacket fit his broad shoulders and narrow waist easily. He was still on the lean side, a runner’s physique, but even with his coat on, she could tell his upper body was cut. She supposed that working construction could build up those muscles. It made her want to squeeze a bicep and feel it flex beneath her fingertips.

He smiled at her and she felt her resolve start to weaken as heat crept up her neck. It made her wish she’d worn a blouse with a higher neckline. Or that she’d thought to button it up to the throat before he came into her office. Or worn a scarf. At the slightest agitation, be it arousal or embarrassment, her chest and neck would turn a blotchy red. At its worst, her face would follow suit and she’d look like a furious cherry tomato. She hadn’t thought about this appointment when she dressed this morning.

Of course, it would help if Morgan didn’t think about his muscles. Or his smile. Or his anything.

It was too late for that. Instead, all she could do was wave him inside. He shut the door behind him and casually made his way across her office to the desk where she was waiting for him.

When her father had first ordered the furniture for her office, she’d hated it. It was bulky executive furniture that weighed a thousand pounds and was far too dark for her taste. It was perfect for a mahogany row office, but that wasn’t the image she wanted to project. Working for charity while sitting at a ten-thousand-dollar desk was tacky.

At the moment, however, she was grateful for it. Having a mountain of wood between the two of them was almost enough to make her feel comfortable in his presence. Almost.

Comfortable or not, it was time to take control of this situation. She might not be a Steele, but she’d been raised like one, and she wasn’t going to let River get the upper hand today. She sat up straight at her desk, lacing her fingers together over her leather blotter and crossing her ankles. This was the pose that flipped the switch in her brain to work.

Then she watched River do the opposite. He unbuttoned his jacket and settled into the chair like he was at home on his couch. He made himself comfortable, sitting back and casually crossing his ankle over his knee as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Somehow, that didn’t seem fair to Morgan.

Time to make him as uncomfortable as she was.

* * *

“Before we get started, I have one question for you, Mr. Atkinson.”

“Mr. Atkinson is my father,” he noted with a sigh. Judging by Morgan’s tone, she was ready to finish their little chat from the party. He was glad he was at least in a comfy chair if she was going to lay into him first thing. This could turn into a very long or very short meeting depending on how the next few minutes went. “But ask away.”

“What exactly are you doing here?” Her gaze fixed on him with a pointed expression on her face.

“I’m here to talk about building houses for the poor. Isn’t that why you’re here?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm from slipping into his voice. It was one of the only emotions he had left where she was concerned.

She studied his face for a moment. “I’m serious, River. Why did you sign up for this whole thing? If you only bid on this job to get your chance to tell me off, then just walk away now. This charity project is important to me. If you’re not genuinely interested in helping the community, I’ll find another contractor.”

“Oh, I’m very serious,” he said. And he meant it. “This project is essential to me and my company’s five-year plan.”

“So you’re just using the Steele name to make a name for yourself.”

“I’ve already made a name for myself and my company, thank you, but I’d be a fool if I didn’t use the chance for some good press and free advertising. Hopefully, that will lead to great things in the future for me and my employees. But listen, I am fortunate enough to be in a position to do some good in the community. This was a great opportunity to do that and get the word out about Southern Charm. There’s nothing wrong with that. As the force behind this whole effort, Steele Tools does the exact same thing.”

“We do it to help others less fortunate.”

River watched her expression as she spoke. She really believed what she’d said. “Maybe you do. But your dad and his stockholders go along with it for corporate promotion and tax deductions, I guarantee it.”

“So you really just want to give back? Give your company a little boost?” She didn’t seem convinced of it as she spoke. “You’re telling me that this whole thing isn’t just a ruse to see me again?”

River laughed. Louder than he’d intended to. Enough to make Morgan wrinkle her nose up in irritation. That only made him laugh more. She really was full of herself. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’ve been over you a long time, Morgan. If I wanted to see you, there are easier ways than signing my company up for a summer of charity work for zero profits. So no, this isn’t about seeing you again.”

He couldn’t help but notice a painful flicker cross her face for a moment before she pulled herself back together. Was it possible that he’d hurt her feelings? After everything that had happened, he’d wondered if she had cared about him at all. There hadn’t been one word, one email, one text after she left him alone in that honeymoon cabin that night. Just an envelope a few days later with a wedding ring inside.

And for that half a second, he saw the face of the girl he’d once loved. The one overflowing with emotions and vulnerabilities. One that would’ve held out hope that her first love might still carry a torch for her after all these years. Then the poised, ice-cold princess returned.

“Of course, you’re over me,” she said. “I was thinking more along the lines of you wanting to give me a piece of your mind. Maybe tell my father off?”

“While speaking my piece might be therapeutic, no, it’s not about you, little girl. I didn’t even know that I’d be working with you when I started this process,” he lied. He couldn’t have her thinking otherwise or she might believe she had the upper hand in their situation. He might’ve been driven here out of revenge or even masochistic curiosity, but it wasn’t a pining for Morgan.

“I’m a professional. I couldn’t have built my company up from nothing if I wasn’t. Besides that,” River continued, “you seem to be a hell of a lot more upset with me than I am with you, although I have no idea why.”

She straightened in her chair, studying him with obvious disbelief. “Are you serious? You can actually sit there and tell me you have no idea why I would be upset with you?”

“Wait a minute,” River said, holding up his hand before she could go any further. “You really are. Why would you be upset with me?”

That was certainly an unexpected twist on the situation. Especially since he wasn’t the one whose family broke up their honeymoon and wiped their marriage from the books. He wasn’t the one who dutifully packed up and went home the minute his father snapped his fingers.

“I’ve got a hundred thousand reasons to be upset with you, River Atkinson.”

Ah. That. River had known the moment he cashed that check that it would come back to haunt him. That money was tainted. Dirty. And yet, that same money had changed the trajectory of his whole life. He wouldn’t apologize for making the best of a shitty situation.

Instead, he smiled. He knew that would get to her. “What’s the matter, Morgan? Did you think you were worth more than that? Should I have asked for a million to keep quiet about our indiscretion? I’m sure dear ol’ Daddy would’ve paid anything to get his little princess out of that mess. Tell me, did you panic when you realized the consequences of what we’d done? Did you wait for me to fall asleep that night and call him to come get you?”

“Of course not,” she snapped. “I don’t even know how he found us, much less how he knew we’d gotten married.”

River shook his head. “I’m sure he tracked your cell phone and credit card records, knowing every step you took. You might’ve thought you were an adult living your own life, but he just let you believe that. Trevor had you on a short leash the whole time.” He chuckled to himself and looked around at her well-appointed office. “And now you work for Daddy. He probably invented this whole job just for you. You probably live in one of Daddy’s houses and charge up Daddy’s credit cards. Sounds to me like he’s still got you on that leash.”

Morgan’s eyes narrowed at him in anger. “You shut your mouth. You don’t know anything about the dynamic between my father and me.”

“Don’t I?” he challenged. “The woman I met at that bar by the university was confident and independent. She wanted to go out into the world and make a difference. The girl who crawled from my bed with her tail between her legs was someone else entirely. Would you care to explain that to me since you think I don’t understand what happened on our wedding night?”

Morgan’s pale skin flushed with a crimson undertone along her chest, throat and cheeks. It reminded him of his younger blushing bride. And their wedding night where the blush traveled lower than the low V neckline of the blue silk blouse she was wearing now. Then her jaw flexed tight to hold in the angry words she probably couldn’t wait to spew at him. She looked like she was about to blow.

“My father cares very much about me,” she managed to say between tightly gritted teeth as she gripped her collar and held it closed to block out his prying eyes.

“No. I cared about you. I loved you. You’re just a prop in your father’s perfect family presentation. You have to fall in line or you’re cut from the spotlight.”

“Not everyone wants to be in the spotlight, River. I would’ve much rather lived a life of my choice in the shadows than a life crafted for me on my father’s stage.”

River shook his head. “I don’t believe you for a second. At any time, you could’ve stood up for yourself. You could’ve stood up for me. For our marriage. But Daddy’s money was too important to risk on a future with some poor boy with a little promise but no education. If he’d cut you off, what would life have been like for you? You would’ve had to really work for a living and make do without servants like the rest of us poor schmucks. Or from what I’ve heard, the way you would’ve been raised if you hadn’t been switched in the hospital.”

River watched the blood drain from her face. He went too far mentioning that whole thing. He’d read about it in the papers, but he was sure she was still working through it all. He shouldn’t have let all his emotions out at once. They’d been bottled up for years, festering, with their only outlet being his company and building it to be the best it could possibly be.

“It would’ve been easier if I hadn’t been switched,” she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “When you have nothing, there’s nothing to take away.”

“I’d heartily disagree on that point. I’ve lost plenty.” Morgan’s green-gold eyes met his for a moment before she looked away uncomfortably. “It may not have seemed like much to you, just a rebellious fling with an unsuitable boy, but it was everything to me.”

Morgan sat silently, a frown transforming her face into a guilty expression. Her gaze dropped to the blotter on her desk. “We need to stop this. It isn’t going to change the past, so we might as well put it behind us and try to be civil.”

“Of course.” River pressed his fingertips together thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t want to cause a scandal for the Steele family. Again.”

“River...” she warned.

“Like I said before, I want this project to be a success. We have some important work ahead of us. So you’re right, we can’t let our past interfere. Truce?” He arched his brow at her in a challenge. He knew he could behave, but silencing her sharp tongue might prove more difficult.

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief and her practiced smile returned to her face. She seemed confident in her abilities. He almost missed her anger once it was tamped down. At least that was a real emotion.

“Truce,” she said and offered her hand across her desk.

Tentatively, River reached out and took it. Instantly a sizzle traveled up his arm and down his spine, exploding in his groin like a shockwave of arousal. He pulled away as quickly as he could and buried his hand beneath the desk to rub the sensation off his palm and onto his pant leg. It had been like that the night of the party, too, making him both eager and cautious about touching her again.

They might be calling a truce on their fight, but the connection between him and Morgan was far from over.

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