Five Dates with the Billionaire - Alyssa J. Montgomery Page 0,60
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
He raised his hands and smoothed his fingers against his brow and she realised it was a lot to take in. ‘I was told Ivy had a daughter who’d left home without her blessing. I knew her name was Elizabeth, but I didn’t know any more.’ He looked at her in wonder. ‘My God! You’re a duchess. You inherited the title and…’
‘No. I changed my identity. I’m not a duchess.’
‘Did you inherit your grandmother’s estate?’
‘Yes. The inheritance was put into a trust and the trustees set up an off-shore account so none of the money could be traced back to me.’ Despite being extraordinarily ill, her grandmother had taken steps to protect Mia when she’d learned the circumstances of her mother’s death. ‘Stanley and Violet were the trustees until I turned twenty-five and then I took control as sole beneficiary.’
‘The Harcher Trust.’
She sucked in a shocked breath and alarm raced along every nerve. ‘How can you know about it? It’s supposed to be untraceable.’
‘There’s no direct link. My investigator said you were living rent-free in an apartment owned by the Harcher Trust. The name teased my memory because I’d seen correspondence on Gran’s desk years ago. I’d asked her about it, but she wasn’t forthcoming and I respected that.’ Connor looked as though his mind raced to try to absorb everything he was learning about her. ‘Stanley’s connections to MI5 facilitated your new life in the UK?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled with gratitude. ‘Because I was born in the US, I wasn’t even a British citizen. Stanley pulled all sorts of strings and worked closely with the FBI to create my new identity.’
‘You were lucky he was able to help you.’
‘Very lucky. When my grandmother knew she was dying, she asked Stanley to track Mum and me down. By the time he did, Mum had been murdered. Ivy died a few days after he told her the news. I didn’t get to meet her, but it meant a lot to me that she’d tried to find us and asked her two closest friends to protect me.’
‘I’m glad you had them, Mia. I know how supportive Gran was of me when I needed her and I know you mean a lot to her.’
‘Now you know the whole story.’ Mia leaned back in the chair, bone weary.
It’d been a long and emotional day and what she wanted most was to curl up in bed, but she doubted she’d be able to sleep. There was still Agent Roberts to talk to and plans to be made.
Looking at Connor, regret pierced her heart. Any plans that were to be made wouldn’t include him.
‘I feel like an idiot for thinking you were trying to swindle a group of old ladies out of their fortunes when you’re an heiress.’
Mia couldn’t resist smiling. She might have suspected the same thing had their positions been reversed. ‘Well, fifteen million pounds doesn’t come anywhere close to your fortune, but I don’t think I’ll ever have to resort to preying on old ladies to make ends meet.’
‘All this time and I had no idea.’ Connor let out an audible breath. ‘So, you’re really Mia Buckley.’
‘Not Mia. I… I’ve been drilled never to share my birth name with anyone.’
He shrugged. ‘It doesn’t make any difference one way or the other. To me you are Mia.’
‘But I’m not.’ An unexpected tidal wave of emotion hit her and her words emerged as a half sob. All the trauma had caught up with her and she couldn’t keep herself in check. Burying her face in her hands she tried to pull herself back together and was horrified when she couldn’t stem the fresh tears.
If she’d been Mia, she and Connor might’ve had a chance.
Connor’s arms were around her. He lifted her out of the chair, held her against his broad chest and carried her to Stanley’s bed where he sat, cradling her to him and planting kisses on her forehead. ‘You’ve endured so much sweetheart, but we’ll find a way through this.’
His voice was so steady and confident she almost believed him. Connor was very powerful in the business world, but he played by the rules and had no idea of the power Giovanni wielded. Dark, insidious power that encompassed everything that was heinous and corrupt.
She pulled away from him, eased herself from his lap and stood as she should: alone and on her own two feet. ‘This isn’t your fight, Connor.’