Now the last pieces of his plan would fall into place just the way he wanted. This way, at least, he could get right down to business instead of wasting precious time wooing her away from Irene Palmer’s clawlike grip. The satisfaction that spread through him was a balm to his soul.
Josh got up from his seat and crossed to the shelving unit against his office wall. He lifted a photo frame from the wooden shelf and stared at the faded black-and-white picture within. His mother looked so happy in this shot—so carefree—and, with her hand on his eight-year-old shoulder, they’d faced the world believing everything was good in their lives. But it had been a lie. Nothing about his upbringing had been what it seemed, nor what it should have been—now all that was about to change.
Bruce Palmer had had his opportunity to make a difference and he’d chosen not to. Had chosen instead the unemotional frozen woman who ruled his empire at his side. Had chosen his legal-born son over his illegitimate bastard.
Palmer’s curt dismissal of Josh’s notification when his mother had died—a single sheet of paper with “No contact” typed in bold black letters—had sealed his fate. Then eighteen, Josh had been shocked to finally discover who his father really was and the searing pain of emphatic rejection, hard on the heels of the death of the only parent he had ever known, had been the catalyst that continued to drive him.
If Palmer had been half the man the country believed he was Josh’s mother wouldn’t have had to work up to three jobs at a time to make sure Josh never missed out.
In return, he’d vowed that one day he’d make things right for her and give her the luxuries she deserved. Sadly, her illness had denied him the chance to ever spoil her. Josh still cursed himself that, wrapped up in his studies, he hadn’t noticed her slow deterioration or realised that her perpetual weariness was a far more ominous indicator than simply her body’s response to the physical demands of her work.
The doctors had said it was too late to do anything for her by the time they’d detected the cancer. Too late to do anything but hope against hope that she wouldn’t slip away while he was at school during the day, or at the cleaning job he’d taken over from her late at night to help cover their living costs.
She’d lingered for two years and her end, when it came, had been without him by her side. He’d been at the graduation ceremony for school, where he’d been awarded top honours in his year group and a scholarship to attend Victoria University in Wellington, only a short journey from their home.
He’d felt the emptiness the instant he’d set foot inside the door, both in the house and in his heart. An emptiness that remained, locked deep inside.
His fingers tightened around the frame, knuckles whitening as the helpless rage that had filled him as an angry and confused teen came rushing back. He forced himself to relax and carefully replaced the photo on the shelf, then closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the happier image to imprint over the one that always lingered in the back of his mind.
The instant he had his fury under control again his eyes snapped open and his gaze drifted to the Palmer Enterprises building, only a couple of blocks away, framed by his window. Yes, Bruce Palmer would pay for his callous choice, and he’d pay dearly. By the time Josh was finished with him the older man would know the pain of regret and Josh’s thirst for payback would finally be quenched.
Josh moved back to his desk and opened the computer file he had on Callie, his eyes roaming the head-and-shoulders shot of her that filled his screen.
His insides clenched as he observed the tilt of her head, the tint of red in her long hair hinting at the fiery potential in her temper. The picture, however, hadn’t captured the essence of her as a woman. She’d controlled herself so well at lunch the other week, but the hint of anger in her chocolate-brown eyes had barely veiled what he believed was the true level of passion in her nature. Callie Rose Lee in the flesh was an entirely more enticing package than the computer screen promised.
“So that’s the tour of the office complex all done!”
The fresh-faced staffer who’d shown Callie around Tremont’s high rise turned with a smile that almost made Callie feel like she was waiting for applause or a pat on the head for a job well done.
“Thank you, Sabrina. It certainly was comprehensive.”
So comprehensive, in fact, Callie wondered when she’d ever actually get to start some work. The tour had taken the entire morning and she’d yet to meet up with Josh Tremont again or see where she’d be working herself.
“Ah, here’s Mr Tremont now. Right on time.”