His Paris Affair (The Albury Affairs) (21 page)

“I know!” she yelled.

“Then who was it?” he yelled back shooting up on his feet.

“You are!”

* * * *

Melody leaned against the closed door and took a deep
breath. That didn’t go as she had expected. Nothing that day had gone as she
had expected. Jackie’s croak about a new day being better was just that, croak!

“You’re back already?”

She turned to Jackie’s voice. She was walking towards her
with Esme held to her shoulder.
Esme…
Melody
smiled and laughed. The day was about to turn to shit!

“Melody, what’s wrong, why are you laughing like a mad
woman?”

“He knows,” she responded moving to the living room and
dropping on the couch.

“Who knows what?” Jackie asked coming behind her.

“Ruiz knows that Esme is his.”

Jackie squealed bouncing on the couch like a teenage girl
who just got juicy gossip. “So, why isn’t he here hugging and kissing his
daughter?”

Melody snorted. “Beats me. Maybe he’s just shocked. I know I
am.”

Jackie nodded. “That’s understandable. Besides, men process
things different that women. What exactly did he say when you told him?”

“Go tell my mother she needs to leave,” Melody quoted word
for word.

Jackie stared at her stunned. “Go tell my mother she needs
to leave. That was his big answer to Esme is your daughter?”

Melody sunk on the couch until she lay flat on her back. “It
didn’t exactly go like that.”

“Then how did it go,” Jackie half yelled impatiently.

“Well,” Melody turned her head to face her. “This morning I
woke up believing that if I went to work with Ruiz he couldn’t ignore me
anymore and he’d be forced to speak to me. When I got to the office, Jon Luc
was there and he had amazing news for me. Antonio and I were never married.”

Jackie cheered. “I knew it! What did Ruiz say to that, I bet
he at least reacted to that!”

Melody chuckled and turned back to look at the ceiling. “He
said ‘you invited my mother to stay?’”

“What! That’s it?” She really did yell this time jarring
Esme from her nap and making her cry. Jackie stood up and walked around as she
rocked her to calm her down. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither could I. I thought he would be happy, I know I was
and all he seemed to be concerned about was getting his mother out of the
suite.”

Jackie grumbled under her breath in French before she said
aloud, “Well then. If booting his mother out is the only way to get him focused
on the real issue, I’ll go put Esme down and help you throw her out.”

Melody sat up. “Jackie we can’t throw her out. That’s—” She
reared back when Jackie almost pocked her eye out with her finger.

“So help me if you say rude…”

Melody lifted her hands in surrender. “Fine, but we can’t be
that callous. I’ll just explain to her how things are. That we are going
through a rough tide and we can’t handle visitors—especially family—at the
moment.”

Jackie waved her hand dismissively. “Tell her whatever you
want to tell her as long as she knows she needs to leave.”

Melody watched her walk away and disappear into the room
thinking that was easily said than done. She wasn’t kicking just any one out
and she didn’t understand how she was the only one who saw that. Clarissa might
as well be a stranger to Ruiz seeing how they interact and she was a stranger
to Jackie, so Jackie didn’t count much. What was she to do, knock on her
bedroom door and demand she pack up and leave because her son wants her gone by
the time he got back?

Melody groaned falling back onto the chair and covering her
face with her hand. This day wasn’t better, it was worse!

“Melody, dear.”

She jumped up and turned to face her mother-in-law.
“Clarissa! I didn’t hear you come out of your room.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m light on my
feet. One thing my husbands both hated and loved about me.” She sat down and
crossed her hands over her lap. Melody quickly followed suit. “So, my son wants
me gone?”

Melody could feel her cheeks turn flaming red. “I’m sorry
but you arrived at a really bad time. Maybe we can arrange a better visit later
on in the year,” she added, hoping that the later invitation would smooth
things over.

She chuckled shaking her head. “Not if my son has anything
to do with it. My dear, I do have a question for you?”

Oh oh!
“I’ll try
and answer it the best I can.”

“Why did you agree to marry my son?”

What?
“Excuse me,
I don’t quite follow.”

“You do know he married you for the same reasons his father
married me—for my money and social standing.”

Melody had to keep herself from laughing. Did this woman
know her own son? Mixing with her social circle would be a fate worse than
death to Ruiz and her money, she learnt how much he didn’t want her money the
hard way. In fact, she was still paying for making that assumption.

“No, Ruiz didn’t marry me for my money and social standing.
He hates my social circle and he makes his own money.”

She shook her head in that ‘poor foolish and clueless girl’
way. “Yes he did. You’ll soon find out after he’s tired of playing family man.
The only reason he got you pregnant was to make sure his plans don’t go array.”

“Clarissa, your son and I married way before Esme came into
our lives and also, he’d have to jump a number of hoops one of them being my
brother to access my money.”

“He hasn’t tried yet, but he will. What explanation would
you give for having not seen him touch or look at his own child even once since
I got here?”

She had Melody there. How could she possibly tell her why
Ruiz didn’t touch or look at Esme without having the tables turned on her and
she being painted the monster. Now she understood why Ruiz wanted his mother
out of here, she just complicated things even more.

Melody stood up, signaling the conversation was over.
“Clarissa, what your son does is his business, but he has made it my business
to make sure you are gone before he gets back. If you have any complaints to
make about that I suggest you go see him in the staff hall, he’s made that his
temporary office for the hotel restructuring. I’m sorry you couldn’t visit longer,
but please do give your current husband our best.” At that moment, Jackie
stepped out of the room minus Esme, but with a hidden smile that threatened
Melody’s own. “Jackie will show you out, won’t you Jackie?”

“
Oui madame
,” she
answered with a comical bow that did make Melody smile.

With that, Melody flounced into her room and closed the door
partially to listen to how Jackie was going to get the Clarissa who was already
whining and threatening to report her to Ruiz, out of the suite, with a hand
held over her mouth to muffle her laughter.

* * * *

“You surprise me sometimes, Ruiz. That wasn’t the reaction I
was expecting.”

“What are you talking about?” Ruiz asked absently as he
skimmed through the furnishing invoice. Apparently, while he was buried under
the covers avoiding the sun that morning, Melody had been putting together a
list of office equipment and furniture to replace those the old staff had
stolen or sold off. The set back Antonio had caused firing the reliable staff
Ruiz had established over a year ago and replacing them with crooks annoyed
him. It was going to put a big dent on the new capital Matthew had sent him to
Paris with, especially if they went with the expensive furniture store Melody
had listed. Exhausted and still nursing a headache, he put the eye sore invoice
down, cupped his forehead in his hand and massaged his temples with his thumb
and middle finger. He should have stayed in bed, he was completely useless with
this hangover.

“Your wife—just yours and no longer sharing with
Antonio—just told you that little girl you lost your mind over is yours and not
that toad’s and you respond with ‘get my mother out of the suite’?”

Ruiz could hear the surprise in his voice. He didn’t need to
look up to know Jon Luc was staring at him as if a third eye had appeared on
his forehead.

“What did you want me to say?”

He spattered. “You’re joking right?
Mon Dieu!
Are you even awake yet?” He slapped the desk repeatedly
and each hit echoed loudly in Ruiz’s head. “
Hé,
réveille!
You have a wife and a daughter!”

Ruiz held up his hand, glaring at his new, but soon to be
old friend. “
Ya basta ya!
My head is
splitting just fine without your help.” He groaned, closing his eyes and
leaning back on the seat’s headrest. He should have stayed in bed that morning.

“
Mon ami
, speak to
me. What’s holding you back from running to your suite and holding your
belle ange
in your arms?”

Ruiz opened his eyes and looked at Jon Luc. “I don’t trust
her.”

He shook his head sadly at Ruiz, “But do you believe her?”

He snorted. “I don’t believe what I don’t trust.”

“Well, would you believe me if I told you it is your name on
her birth certificate?”

That spiked Ruiz’s interest, but he suppressed. No, he
wouldn’t run head first in this. There was to much hurt, too much pain in store
for him if he wasn’t cautious about it. He just couldn’t.

“So she gave her my last name, put me down as her father when
she herself wasn’t sure little Esme was mine? Like I said, I don’t trust her.”

“Ruiz—”

Ruiz sat up straight in his seat and cut Jon Luc off. “Jon
Luc, Melody has lived her entire life in a fairytale bubble thanks to her
family. Her brother still treats her like she was five pouting for a Cinderella
dress and not like a grown woman who needs to make her own way in life. Hell,
I’m even surprised he let Melody stay out of his radar this long!”

Jon Luc cantered his head to the side. “This Allan Sinclair
is the one and the same person who worked with Dante Vittorio in Italy,
oui
?” Ruiz nodded his affirmative. “Then
my friend, he always knew where his sister was at every particular moment.”

Ruiz shook his head. He couldn’t believe that. “If he did,
Melody would be in America right now and in Allan’s house, probably in a room
very close to his.”

“What’s to say he didn’t decide to let his sister be a grown
woman? What’s to say for the first time in his life, he wanted Melody to climb
on her feet without him pulling her up?”

Ruiz still shook his head even as doubt filled his head.
“Allan Sinclair, my brother-in-law cutting off the strings? No way. That’s
something my brother— damn the man! Reno must be behind this!” he hissed
punching the desk.

“Reno, your big brother? Why do you say that?”

Ruiz stood up and Jon Luc followed. “Only a parent would
push his kid out of the nest! For the years I’ve spent being his baby brother,
he’s been setting things like this up for me so that I could
learn
something from it. He’s the one
who set this whole thing up, for me and Melody!” He cursed, pacing the room.

Jon Luc shrugged. “He sounds like a very wise man.” Ruiz
stopped and glare at him, Jon Luc just laughed. “
Quelle?
He’s just looking out for your best interest.”

“Aha.” Ruiz pulled out his phone and dialed his brother’s
number. It rang three times before he picked up.

“Took you long enough, thought you had more smarts than
that,” Reno said laughingly.

Ruiz swallowed the curse on his tongue. For some reason, he
could never curse at his brother in anger. He always had this need to impress
him, to never let him down. His failed relationship with Melody was a blow in
more ways than one.

“You don’t even know what I’m calling about?”

His heavy chuckle came through the receiver with a booming
echo. “I’m smarter than you. And besides, you would have emailed like you’ve
been doing instead of calling. You email when you want to avoid confrontation.”

It both irked and pleased him how well his big brother knew
him. “Stay out of my business Reno.”

“Never going to happen,” he said sternly.

He sighed heavily. “Stop trying to make up for our father.”

There was a prolonged silence on the other end before Reno
finally spoke. “Is that what you think I’m doing? I have nothing to make up for
on behalf of that man. I’m making up for me, for not having your back like I
did Riana. You’re my kid brother and your mother had no right to keep you from
me, to keep me from doing my job. You wouldn’t have all those ghosts following
you around if I was there for you.”

Ruiz felt his throat burn. Reno had nothing to feel guilty
about and yet he did. No one had ever felt guilty for letting Ruiz down, no
one. And the one person who did, the only who’d just found out about Ruiz’s
existence was carrying one hell of a load that he shouldn’t be in the first
place.

“And besides,” Reno started a little more upbeat, “You were
moving too slow for my liking. Allan had already lost all his patience with
both you and Melody. We left it too long with the hotel hoping Melody would
wake up from whatever slumber she was in there. We even thought the baby would
motivate her, but she only hid more. And you, you would still be here, mopping
around my house, a sitting duck for Allan and his temper if I hadn’t done
something.”

Ruiz rubbed his hand down his face and neck and up again.
That explained the barely contained aggression Allan had when they were around
each other. He should have known something more than just his break up with
Melody warranted the dagger eyes, but Ruiz got nothing from Reno—both funny and
annoying.

So they knew about the baby, did they know if he was truly
the father? “Reno—”

“Nope, I don’t want to know. It’s time you and Melody took
charge of your lives and that hotel that died when you broke up. We’ll all be
there in a month time for the re-launch gala. A month Ruiz, to get all your
shit together or I’m going to let Allan kick your ass!”