Lies and Weddings(108)
Rufus stared at his mother, not quite believing his ears. “I don’t know what you think happened on my road trip, but no one got shot or drove off a cliff,[*2] and Eden’s not someone I can just ‘get out of my system.’ I’m in love with her. I’ve loved her since the day I first met her.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you were six.”
“I think I knew even then that she was going to become the most special woman in my life.”
Arabella gave him a look of horror, before bursting into tears. “How dare you say that! Your mother is supposed to be the most special woman in your life! Hiyah, see what you’ve done? You’ve ruined my face mask!”
Rufus shook his head in frustration and left the room.
Skip Notes
*1 Arabella is wrong on two counts: First, Princess Hanne Marit owns alpacas. Second, llamas are actually tremendously useful. In the Andean cultures, they have for centuries been used as pack animals and as meat. These days, in addition to being livestock guards, their coarse outer hair can be used to make great rugs and wall hangings, making them the perfect hipster pet.
*2 No one slept with Brad Pitt either.
XII
The Cottage
GRESHAMSBURY, ENGLAND ? LATER THAT DAY
It had been a long day at the clinic catching up on a backlog of patients, and Thomas had just arrived home and was settling into his favorite armchair with a tumbler of scotch and Earth, Wind and Fire on the record player when Diego de San Antonio y Viscaya called from the Philippines.
“Houston, we have a problem,” Diego said.
“What’s up?”
“I just received a call from our boy Luis’s new lawyers. He’s hired the biggest ambulance-chasing bastards in Los Angeles.”
“What does it matter? Rene’s trust is ironclad.”
“Yes, but they are waving their dicks and trying to justify their hourly rate to Luis Felipe by challenging the trust. Apparently, Luis Felipe is refusing to go to rehab, so they’ve decided to sue the trust and jam things up for as long as they can in an effort to postpone the inevitable.”
“I was afraid he’d do that. That boy will do anything not to have to confront his own demons. Doesn’t he realize we’re only trying to help him? Before he requires a liver transplant?”
“I’m sure his liver will be grateful, but the rest of him sure isn’t. Those bottom-feeders have been digging around with their forensic accountants and they wanted to know about the promissory notes from the Earl of Greshamsbury.”
“What about them?”
“They want to call in those loans.”
“They can’t without our approval.”
“Well, actually, it seems they can. Those loans aren’t in the trust.”
Thomas bolted up in alarm. “What do you mean?”
Diego sighed. “Apparently, because Francis needed the loans to be secret, Rene made those loans out through an entity in the Channel Islands that exists outside the trust. The entity holds the loans, and until Francis is able to pay it back, it basically owns all of Greshamsbury.”
“Can’t we put this entity in the trust?”
“Not retroactively. And since the entity holds the only assets that exist outside of the trust’s protection, those bastards have pounced on them like a pack of rabid coyotes. Luis Felipe is desperate for funds. It seems he went on a bender in Vegas last weekend and he’s racked up quite a few bills.”
“I’ll bet he has. He has a huge gambling problem.”
“Oh, the bills are just for the legal fees after he tried to accost Katy Perry. Apparently he jumped onstage and insisted on doing a duet of ‘Roar’ with her during her live show.”
“Well, she clearly didn’t want to hear him roar, did she?”
Diego chuckled. “No, she didn’t. On top of having to bail him out of that mess, his lovely lawyers are threatening to launch a lawsuit against you.”
“Me? For what?”
“Gross negligence, improper conduct, you name it. They claim you had undue influence over Rene, that you were looking after your own interests and forced him to issue those loans to your friend Lord Francis.”
Thomas sighed wearily. “Rene lent the money on his own accord and you know that.”
“I know that and you know that, but I have to warn you, it may not look good to a jury since you yourself reside on Greshamsbury lands.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“We need to placate Luis Felipe. Can’t Francis pay back part of the loan? A hundred million perhaps? That should tide him over for a year at least.”
“Not at his burn-through rate.”
“Well, we need to throw him a bone, or he’ll go after the whole carcass.”
“It would do Luis Felipe absolutely no good to go after the Greshams and render them insolvent. He’d come away with far less money if he did that.”
“You try reasoning with the kid.”
Thomas deliberated for a moment. “Look, Francis and I are working out a plan to divest some of the resorts and raise cash where we can, but that will take a bit of time.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have time. I believe Luis Felipe and his low-rent vampires are threatening to come to Greshamsbury. You know, to kick the tires a bit. They can smell the money, and they’re out for blood.”