The Billionaire's Return Read online

Her heart squeezed from all the love she had for him. “I’ll see you later, okay? We’re still going to the movie, aren’t we?”

  He’d said he wanted to veg out a little to rest his brain before the speech.

  “If you still want to,” he said.

  “I do. I’ll even bring the shredder along. In case we need it.”

  His laugh was perfunctory, but at least it was something. He kissed her on the cheek and walked to the back door. “See you later, beautiful.”

  She waved, and he left. Picking up the pink shredder, she held it to her chest, wishing she could shred the last fears of her past that lurked inside her.

  ***

  Evan was a ball of nerves the day of the speech. Even though he knew he wouldn’t forget the speech—he had an eidetic memory, after all—he was terrified he would develop a lisp or hyperhidrosis and gross the audience out with the sheets of sweat on his brow.

  A knock sounded on the penthouse door, and he took a couple deep breaths before opening it, hoping to calm himself. It didn’t work. Seconds later, Chase stood in the open doorway, looking like a titan of business. Evan felt like an ant in his shadow.

  “You’re pale, Evan,” Chase said, giving his shoulder a quick jostle as he walked past him.

  “I’m nauseated,” he admitted. So much so he hadn’t been able to touch the sweet collection of baked goods Margie had delivered before Hot Cross Buns opened for the day. Seeing her had been treat enough.

  He was still worried about her coming today, but he needed to trust her. That article featuring them had put him in a tailspin. The invention he’d created in a fit of panic had bought him some time, but he suspected they were going to find out today if she could step into his world with him, if they could make it their own. Perhaps it was the Parisian in him, but part of him kept waiting for the church bells in town to ring out his fate. Okay, he was so expecting doom and gloom.

  “It’s perfectly normal to feel nauseated before an important speech,” Chase said, pulling out a carton of antacids from his pocket and extending it to him. “Which is why I bought these at the local pharmacy. Take one. It will settle your stomach.”

  “Did you ever get nauseated?” he asked.

  “When I was competing in bull-riding competitions, I used to puke in the empty stalls. By the time I gave my first major speech out of college, all I had to do was remember how I’d sat atop a two thousand pound bull that wanted to kill me. My nerves disappeared.”

  Evan chewed the antacid. “I haven’t ridden bulls.”

  “Maybe not,” Chase said, slapping him on the back. “But you have raced cars up to two hundred miles an hour. That takes balls.”

  “But that was fun!” he said, plopping down on the couch in the suite.

  “Sharing your vision and inspiring millions of people around the world isn’t fun?”

  “I’m still mad at you for getting CNN to agree to cover some of the speech live,” he said, crossing his arms.

  “Evan,” Chase said, coming over and sitting beside him. “If I didn’t think you were going to hit a home run, I never would have suggested it. You need to trust me, but mostly you need to trust yourself.”

  He knew that. But when he looked in the mirror all he could see was the place where he’d knicked himself shaving and how his hair had decided to ignore his professional hair products and become a ball of curl. Not even the memory of Margie’s pep talk could help him see something different.

  “You’re going to tie my tie, aren’t you?” he asked in a low voice. Watching more YouTube videos hadn’t made his hands any less clumsy.

  “I think it’s time for you to learn how to do it properly,” Chase said, grabbing him up by the arm. “It’s not like you can’t remember the steps.”

  They walked to the entryway mirror after Evan grabbed his tie from the couch. He awkwardly attempted to make it look presentable while Chase stood by and watched.

  “Keep trying,” Chase said, giving him what Evan could only describe as tough love.

  On the fifth attempt, he finally managed to get it on straight. “Any other pointers?”

  “I’ve told you everything I know. Now, you need to give your speech your way.”

  He remembered his conversation with Margie about how she needed to learn to make bread her way, not Grandma Kemstead’s way and not Andre’s. Suddenly he felt like he was embarking on his own rite of passage.

  When Margie entered the penthouse ninety minutes later wearing a dazzling blue dress—one he hadn’t seen before—he tried to smile. It wasn’t a cocktail dress.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. “But I thought the fashion designer made you a dress.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, Evan, how could you have hung out with so many models without realizing a cocktail dress would be too fancy for today’s speech? I’ll need to change before the reception.”

  How could he have forgotten about the need for a second dress? “I didn’t want you to have to buy anything for today. Let me reimburse you. Please.”

  “I didn’t buy one. Jane let me borrow one of hers after Jill... Well, let’s just say that girls help each other out. It’s designer.”

  So, she’d compromised with him about the reception, but she’d found her own dress for the speech. “I would have had the designer make you two dresses if I’d remembered. I’m an idiot.”

  “I needed to do it this way, Evan.”

  He fought the urge to argue. The cost of the designer making her a second dress would have been less than nothing for him, but gazing at her, he realized it would have cost her some of her pride. Going forward, he would need to remember how important that was to her.

  “I’m glad it worked out,” he said as a white flag.

  “You look handsome,” she said, running a finger down his blue suit, the one that had been specially tailored for the occasion. “And you wore a tie.”

  He remembered his confession about not being able to put on ties properly and almost groaned. “I learned how to do it today. It seemed fitting.”

  Chase rose from the couch. “Margie, you look lovely. It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too.”

  “We should go,” Chase said. “Evan, I can take a separate car if you’d like to ride with Margie.”

  The woman who held Evan’s heart walked over to his best friend and extended her hand. Chase eyed it with a puzzled look before taking it.

  “Please come with us,” she said with a soft smile.

  It was the first time she’d spoken for him. And it felt right. Like something a wife would do.

  “Then, I’ll ride with you,” Chase said, releasing her hand.

  On the way to the university in the limousine Chase had arranged, Evan could feel Margie’s discomfort. He wondered when she’d last ridden in a car like this.

  Since the trip was short, they arrived in no time at the private parking lot behind the university’s basketball stadium. To accommodate the interest, the administration had changed venues from the campus theater to the larger space where they held graduation ceremonies. Everything had gone well at the dress rehearsal the day before, but he’d caught a couple of awkward pauses in his speech. Hopefully it would be even better today.

  When they reached the stage from the back entrance, Evan introduced Margie to the university president and a few of the chancellors seated in the VIP area. Considering how many chairs were arranged behind the podium where he would deliver his speech, he might as well have been taking the presidential oath. He leaned over and kissed Margie on the cheek once they’d exchanged greetings with everyone. It felt so good to have her standing beside him.

  “You’re going to knock them dead with all your invention awesomeness,” she whispered for his ears only.

  Smiling, he stared into her emerald eyes, which were filled with so much love and pride he almost didn’t know what to do with it.

  Then he realized he did know what
to do. It was so simple. “I love you, Margie, and I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Her eyes filled immediately, and she had to blink back the tears. “I love you too, and Evan, I am so proud of you.”

  He had to clear his throat before he turned to face Chase. The man who’d been his father, brother, friend, and partner for all these years looked at him with that unwavering gaze of his, the one that saw everything.

  “I wouldn’t be here without you,” he said humbly.

  “Yes, you would,” Chase said, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Genius like yours can’t be silenced, Evan. I’ve been honored to watch you become the man you are. It’s finally time to share with the world what you’ve shared with me and Quid-Atch. Enjoy it.”

  Evan took his seat and reached for Margie’s hand as the university president walked to the podium to introduce him. The sight of the crowd stretched out around the stage almost made him gulp. He’d been trying to ignore it before, but the basketball stadium held ten thousand people. And it seemed like every seat was taken. The press was camped out in the front row, and the big screens around the stadium were broadcasting live footage so people in the back could see what was happening. The scene looked almost presidential. Especially with the university flags displayed. Those hadn’t been there yesterday.

  The blue one seemed to grab his attention, and his heart stopped when he realized Artemis, the Greek goddess who had been part of his journey to Dare Valley, was depicted on it. She was holding a book in her hand, and a deer—the animal most associated with her—stood by her side. Under her feet were the Latin words sapientia et veritas: wisdom and truth. He remembered then that she was the goddess of wisdom.

  His heart started to race as all the small moments that had brought him here came together like a finished puzzle. It was like there had been a plan all along, what the Greeks called destiny or fate. The power of that revelation coursed through him like a cleansing fire, burning away what remained of his fear and hesitancy. He was a world-famous inventor, and he had a powerful vision to share.

  When the president finished his introduction, Evan rose as if on new legs. A great sense of peace settled around him, and when he stood in front of the microphone, he didn’t glance at the speech that was displayed on his high-tech TelePrompter. He knew every word. All he needed to do now was speak from his heart.

  He went through the expected introductions and then launched into his speech.

  “When I was asked to give a speech about inventing, I researched other famous inventors to see if there was a common thread. It may surprise you that there wasn’t, and I learned something important. Invention can’t be taught. It’s something you possess. I’ve had an innate curiosity about what makes things tick since I was child. I took things apart, and sometimes I managed to put them back together.”

  Muffled laughter spread through the crowd. Evan caught sight of Gary, Margie’s tenant, sitting in the reserved section behind the press. He was grinning, like he was soaking up every single word of the speech, and Martin was seated next to him, looking uncharacteristically animated.

  “You may be wondering why I’m helping the university create a center for students dedicated to inventing after I just said it can’t be taught. Well, one thing I do know about inventing is that it can be fostered. Inventors need a space to create, and they need tools. Some inventions are pretty simple and don’t cost a fortune to create. Others…well, all you have to do is ask my CFO, and he’ll tell you mine cost a mint.”

  There was more laughter, and he could feel a smile spread across his face in response. Chase had talked about the moment in the speech where you know you have an audience in the palm of your hand. This was it—he could feel it.

  “Not all inventions need to cure cancer or eradicate poverty,” he continued. “Just think about how much less organized we’d all be if Spencer Silver hadn’t created Post-it notes after failing to invent the super strong adhesive he’d planned for the aerospace industry. This center isn’t going to make judgments about the usability of inventions. Sometimes you know how an invention might be used at the outset, but history has shown us enough happy accidents for me to conclude we simply need to support the science of inventing.”

  Several people started to clap, and suddenly the whole audience was clapping. The power of the clapping pounded through his veins and made his heart feel too big for his chest.

  When the sound finally died down, he continued. “This center won’t stop at invention because, honestly, that’s only the first step. If you’ve ever tried to complete a patent application for the U.S. government, you know what I’m talking about.”

  Someone whistled in the crowd, and more people laughed. Including Evan.

  “We’re going to help young minds here at the university learn the business side of things as well. Too many inventors have never made money off their inventions. Daisuke Inoue invented the karaoke machine but never patented the idea. Depending on how you feel about karaoke, you may or may not feel bad for him.”

  Again, laughter rang throughout the stadium, and he could feel a fizzy effervescence surging up inside him.

  “But then there are inventors like Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented something we all use every day, something some of you may be using on your phones right now if my speech is boring you. He invented the World Wide Web, and he didn’t patent it because he wanted his invention to be available to everyone.”

  Many people were nodding their heads, and he paused to scan the crowd like Chase had taught him to do.

  “Inventors have a mandate, first to the idea that comes to them, and second to the world. The invention may only serve a small number of people, but who knows? Laszlo Biro invented the ballpoint pen because he was fed up with fountain pens that never seemed to stop leaking. Where would we be if he’d only kept that pen for himself?”

  Several cameras flashed, but he found he didn’t mind so much this time. They were capturing the new Evan Michaels. Chase was right. It had been time for him to show himself to the world.

  “One thing I do know about this new center is that it’s going to change things. Here at Emmits Merriam, there will be students inventing in their dorm rooms late into the night by bad light but with a great fire in their bellies. And I want to meet those of you in the audience who are like that. Because that’s how I started. And I’ve never forgotten. This university was founded by a maverick businessman, I understand, an oil baron named Emmits Merriam. I would like to think he’d be thrilled to host this new center if he were still with us.”

  All of a sudden he knew he was going to deviate from his speech, but it had to be done.

  “I noticed the university’s motto of wisdom and truth with the Greek goddess Artemis depicted on one of the flags on this stage. I saw a statue of Artemis in Greece a few weeks before I came to Dare Valley for the first time. It seems only right to name this invention center after the goddess of wisdom. So please join me in celebrating The Artemis Institute of Innovation.”

  He stepped back from the mike to clap, and the crowd joined him. When the applause subsided, he took his place behind the lectern once again.

  “If you’re sitting in the audience with an invention burning in your belly, all I can say to you is this: you have a home with people like you. Welcome.”

  This time, when he took a step back, his hand automatically went to his heart. The crowd began to clap once more and then people started to rise to their feet. He smiled as he let the vibration roll over him and looked over his shoulder to look at Margie. She was clapping for all she was worth, a beaming smile on her face. Their gazes met, and her clapping only surged, like the love shining in her eyes. Sharing this moment with her made it so much more complete.

  Evan Michaels had finally shared his vision with the world…and received a standing ovation.

  Chapter 6

  Margie was bursting with pride when Evan led her into the reception a few hours later.

  His hand was war
m and comforting on the small of her back as he introduced her to some of the division heads from Quid-Atch, whom Chase had flown in as a surprise to commemorate Evan’s first major speech. The head of R&D, Rajan, kept trying to convince Evan to fly to the company’s main headquarters to give another speech to their employees—even though Chase had arranged for everyone to watch the one today at their offices. He was a funny, geeky guy who reminded her a bit of Evan.

  “We’ll see how things pan out,” Evan only replied. “I’m needed around here for a while.”

  She could all but hear him thinking that he needed to stay with her to solidify things between them. All of a sudden, she knew she needed to help him feel comfortable taking the trips he needed to take, the ones she couldn’t go on with him.

  Chase was watching the group from the side of the room— a part of them, but also separate. Evan and his head of R&D spoke the same language—inventing—which made their interactions easier. But the others were all gazing carefully between him and Chase, sensing the shift that had happened in his speech.

  Evan had taken up the reins of his company in a new way today. Things were going to be different from now on.

  She walked over to where Chase was standing and pulled him aside. “It’s good of you to let him step forward like this. It takes a big man to do it, and I just wanted to say I admire you for it.”

  His brow rose, but he didn’t smile. Unlike Evan, this man was impossible for her to read.

  “I know we don’t know each other well,” she continued, “but I just wanted to…oh, heck…will you stop glowering at me? I was only trying to say—”

  “I know what you’re trying to say,” he said now with a smile so slight it would be missed by anyone but her. “People are wondering if there’s going to be a power struggle between Evan and me, now that Evan’s stepping forward. There won’t be.”

  “You flew them in so they could see him like this,” she said, and it wasn’t a question.

  He leaned close to her ear. “Don’t tell him. He’s still getting used to internal corporate politics. It’s going to take him a while, and this junk…I don’t want to spoil the moment with it.”