Chapter 32 ALEX
“IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER AGAIN, DEAR HEART,” Mimi said outside the French Bistro as she wrapped herself in the shahtoosh shawl I’d bought her when we were dating. Her mannequin smile made my blood run cold.
“The feeling isn’t mutual, but at least we have a deal, right?”
“Of course, dahling. It’s all settled. Your mother will be so relieved. The gossip has been hell for her.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“You should check in on her, you know.” Mimi ignored me. “She does miss you.”
I exhaled, having had quite enough for one evening. “I’m seeing her at the gala tomorrow. That will suffice.”
“Honestly, Alex, you can be a cold-hearted man.”
“Only to those who deserve it.” I held her gaze dispassionately until she broke the standoff.
“I’m so sorry to hear dear Nancy is too unwell to attend the gala. Do give her my best.” Mimi pressed a hand to her heart, then turned towards her father’s Rolls-Royce.
I glared at her, not in this lifetime, then checked my phone as I walked to the Bentley. There were several missed calls from Evan. A ripple of panic travelled through me as I hit redial. “Evan, what’s wrong?”
“Sir, I need to inform you about Ms Cooper.”
“Is she okay?” My heart began to race.
“I’m unsure. She left the apartment around seven and hasn’t returned.
She asked me to collect her from the front of the building stating that she needed to return to the office.
I waited for twenty minutes, but she never materialised.
When I checked the penthouse, she’d already left, and her motorcycle wasn’t around the back.
“Sir, I believe she used me as a decoy to get past the press. It was impressively done, truth be told,” he said with professional pride. “The building’s CCTV shows her turning right out the side road, but I haven’t been able to track where she went after.”
“She’s probably gone to her mother’s.” But why didn’t she message me? She knew how much I wanted to see her after this god-awful dinner. How long would it have taken to send a text? “I’m going to head there now. Follow me, just in case.”
“Yes, sir, I’ve got the Bentley on GPS.”
I ended the call and clicked on the device locator app. As I suspected, Nancy was at World’s End. I should have compromised with her after this hellish week.
My hesitation in staying at the flat wasn’t about Tracy or the estate.
In fact, I liked Tracy very much. She was the sort of woman who made everyone feel at home.
And as we’d got to know each other a little better over her week-long stay at number 8, she’d even become almost…
nurturing towards me. That’s what Nancy had needed tonight—and I had tried to deny her. No wonder she didn’t text.
She wanted comfort from her mother, and even though that was hard for me to understand, Nancy wasn’t me, and her mother was definitely not like mine.
I’d been pigheaded, but after meeting with Mimi, I knew I would need time alone with Nancy. No expectations, no drama, just the two of us. I could be myself with her. It was the most precious thing I’d ever known.
I climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine, but no sooner had I pulled away from the kerb than Evan rang back. I answered over the speaker.
“Evan, what’s up?”
“Sir, a video is circulating of you and Ms Preston-Black at dinner this evening. I’ve run a diagnostic, and it’s been cut together to make it appear more intimate. It was anonymously distributed twenty minutes ago, then reshared by bots until it went viral.”
“Someone doctored a video of our meal?” No prizes for guessing who! That snake couldn’t keep her word if her life depended on it. “How widely has it been shared?”
“Over all the main social platforms.”
Bugger, what if Nancy had already seen it? It could push her over the edge. I hated to admit it, but AJ was right about Nancy’s temperament. Underneath her no-nonsense exterior, she was fragile. “Continue to monitor it and meet me at World’s End.”
“Yes, Lord Toverton.”
I sped off down Kensington High Street. Fighting traffic, I made it to World’s End in twenty minutes and pulled up behind Nancy’s motorcycle. I strode to the new lifts my team had installed and hit fourteen. When I stepped out, I was met with bedlam.
Tracy was crying outside the flat, held close by a stocky black man with greying locs.
Several neighbours had gathered in palpable outrage, and adding significantly to the commotion was a brindle Staffy barking its head off.
I rounded the corner and was struck by the words ‘dirty slut’ written in black spray paint over the new door.
“What the fuck!”
Tracy’s eyes darted to me. She broke away from the man, who looked around in confusion as he was pulled by the lunging dog. “Alex! Is Nancy with you? Have you heard from her?”
“No, I thought she was with you. Who the hell did this?”
“We don’t know, it just happened. Nancy saw it, then she ran off.”
“How long ago?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Her motorcycle is still out front. She can’t have gone far.”
“She was just over at Kim’s parents, but I doubt she’d’ve gone back there. She hides away when she’s upset.”
“Does she have a place she usually goes?”
“Battersea Park, but she’s never said where, and it’s massive.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find her. My driver, Evan, will get a team here to clean this straight away.”
Tracy rubbed a hand down her face. “I can’t believe someone would do this. They haven’t a heart. The look on her face when she saw it. Please find her!”
I stroked down her arms and looked over at the man, who took my meaning and came to comfort her.
“I will. Just stay here, okay?” I ran back to the lift, feeling like I might explode with rage, and called Evan.
“There’s a situation on floor fourteen. Tracy’s flat has been vandalised.
Organise extra security and send a team to clean up immediately. ”
“Yes, sir, right away.”
“Has Nancy passed by you at all?”
“No, but I’ve only just arrived. Is she missing?” Evan asked with concern.
“Yes, but I should be able to find her.” Provided she’s kept her mobile on. I ended the call and checked her location. Tracy was right. She was in the northwest corner of Battersea Park near Albert Bridge.
I ran to the Bentley, the V8 letting out a loud growl as I sped off towards Chelsea Embankment.
The GPS continued to show her in the same location.
I took the next right and crossed the illuminated suspension bridge, its fairground lights glowing in the twilight of the Thames.
I pulled in illegally by the park’s maintenance entrance, hoping the police didn’t drive past, removed my jacket and tie, then jogged back towards the bridge until I hit the north thoroughfare.
Nancy’s phone showed her nearby, but she wasn’t visible in the arced light of the street lamps.
I paced back and forth along the stretch of path, but the only features nearby were a concrete barrier by the riverbank and some neatly arranged bushes.
I turned full circle, ready to call out her name in desperation, when I heard a whimper coming from the river. I strode to the barrier.
Beyond was a patch of shingle untouched by the water.
It was difficult to see with night drawing in, but as I stood still, I heard another whimper from below.
I peered over the railing. Nancy lay motionless, curled up against the angled concrete, facing the water.
Her leather biker jacket covered a blue hoodie, raised to obscure her face.
“Nancy?” I said as my heart pounded.
She looked up, startled, her eyes glistening with tears. “What are you doing here?”
My relief was replaced with wretchedness. “I’ve come from the flat. I saw what they wrote. I’m so sorry, Nancy.”
“Are you? Really?” Her voice was stripped with anger.
“Of course I am. Look, could you come up? We need to talk.”
She sat up and turned to face the water. “No, I’m happy down here. How the hell did you find me, anyway?”
“Tracy told me you came here. Please come up so I can talk to you.” Her gaze remained on the lit-up bridge reflected in the water.
I sighed. “Fine, have it your way.” I removed my cufflinks, rolled up my sleeves, and scaled the barrier, dropping down beside her.
“Quite the spot you’ve found yourself here. ”
“I like the sound of the water, and the bridge looks pretty in the evening. I can think here without anyone bothering me… Well, most of the time.” She eyed me coldly. “So, how’s Mimi?”
“You saw the video?”
“Is that your concern? That I found out?”
“No, and I’m happy to explain if you’ll let me.” I stepped over the pebbles and stood in front of her.
She stared at me, thin-lipped. “Fine, but your explanation better be spectacular. You lied to my face today. Then, I see a video of you and her looking cosy at some candlelit restaurant, drinking wine and holding hands. Do you know how it felt when I saw that?” She looked away, wiping a tear trailing down her cheek.
I closed my eyes, knowing the answer. It would devastate me to see her with another man. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“And what are you sorry for exactly?” She stared back at me. “When you first asked me to be your girlfriend, you said I had to be faithful, that was your bottom line, but does that go both ways? Be honest with me for once. Are you two still together? Am I the other woman like the press says?”
I knelt and grasped her shoulders. “I am yours, Nancy, and you are mine. I would do anything for you. That’s why I met with Mimi this evening. That’s why I lied. I don’t want you in the middle of this shitshow anymore.
“This last week, I’ve watched you retreat into yourself.
It’s been awful, and it’s been my fault.
Then, yesterday, I read an article that included details I knew could only have come from Mimi or me.
I confronted her this evening because I was certain she’d been fuelling the stories.
She admitted she stalked us around Knightsbridge the morning after your birthday and has been feeding the press since.
But we’ve come to a deal. She won’t get in the way of our relationship any longer. ”
“She stalked us?” Nancy’s eyes widened. “She’s the reason someone sprayed those sick words on the flat after the week from hell we’ve had? We need to go to the police!”
I shook my head. “It won’t achieve anything.
Mimi’s family is powerful. They have extensive connections to the media.
Hell, her father owns three of the publications that reported on us.
I had to make a deal privately to stop this once and for all.
I’m sorry I lied to you, but this is my mistake to resolve. ”
“What deal?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not relevant.”
“You paid her off?” she said incredulously.
“She will benefit financially.”
“That’s blackmail!”
“I approached her with the proposal.”
She drilled her temples. “This is ridiculous, and it also doesn’t explain why you were having wine together. You were kissing her hand and looking…lovingly at her.”
“I chose the bistro on the High Street because it’s public and the service is quick.
Whoever filmed the video doctored it. Evan tested the footage, and it was cut to make it look more intimate than it was.
When we held hands, she was wishing us well in our relationship now she’s got what she wanted.
That’s what we were toasting.” Her gaze dropped.
My grip on her shoulders tightened. “You believe me, don’t you?
I’ve only thought of you this entire evening.
All I wanted was to be back with you. That’s why I asked you to wait for me.
I’m not trying to smother you or stop you from seeing your family and friends.
I wanted to see you after seeing her. I want you, Nancy. ” I lowered my head, feeling defeated.
What a fool!
“I believe you.” I raised my gaze to find her softened. “But you can’t lie to me again. I can’t accept that. I find trust difficult as it is. If you lie, we have nothing.”
“I promise I’ll never lie to you again, bella.” I cupped her face, wiping away her remaining tears. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back to the apartment, boo. I can’t face it. Not tonight.”
“I’ll take you to my place. No one can get to us there.”
“Your house on The Boltons?”
“Yes.” My lips rose into a smile. “There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
“I thought you lived alone?”
“Sort of. It’ll make sense. Come on, let’s go.” I pulled us up and helped her over the barrier.