Maximus shrugged. “Why should I be surprised, Robert? I’ve never been able to do enough or achieve enough to gain my father’s respect, and now this? He didn’t even think I could run his company.”
Robert patted his shoulder reassuringly and quietly walked away.
What was he supposed to do now? Maximus’s mind was jumbled as to what his next move should be. He glanced across the room and saw Lucius, Jocelyn and Naomi speaking quietly while Tahlia stood in the background, watching the entire scene. She was clearly uncomfortable to be in the middle of a family squabble. And it surprised him that he felt protective over a woman he’d just met and wanted to comfort her, but he did.
So he strolled toward her.
She smiled when he approached, and Maximus’s stomach flipped. Something that never happened with other women. Usually his time spent with the fairer sex was either as a companion for an event or his bedmate. Nothing more.
Tahlia Armstrong fit neither of those categories.
“Are you all right?” he inquired.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” she responded with a half smile. “I mean, I didn’t have my entire life turned upside down today with no warning.”
“Very true, but you also became an instant millionaire today,” he said smoothly, regarding her intently. “Two percent in Knight Shipping is nothing to laugh at.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is,” she said demurely.
And then there it was again, a hint of a blush on her rosy cheeks. She looked downward, not quite looking at him, and that was when he realized Tahlia Armstrong was flustered by him. Maximus had to figure out how to use that to his advantage.
“You should stay for dinner,” he stated quietly, surprising even himself with the offer.
“D-dinner?”
He grinned. “Yes, you do eat, don’t you?”
She chuckled, and Maximus had to admit he liked the sound of it. “I do.”
“Then join me. I mean, me and my mother that is.”
Tahlia glanced over to his brother. “Is Lucius and his family welcome to join us?”
Max bristled inwardly. He hated being backed into a corner, but in order to figure out his next move where Tahlia was concerned, he might have to tolerate a meal with his older brother and harlot of a mother. Though he had no ill will against Naomi.
“If that means you’ll agree, then yes.”
* * *
Tahlia smiled. She’d won a small victory in getting Maximus to agree to dinner with his brother, Lucius. When Robert had first telephoned her a couple of days ago, she’d been unprepared for the bombshell he was about to drop on her. One day she was a lowly assistant at an art gallery in Los Angeles, the next she was the owner of the gallery as well as a 2 percent partner in Knight Shipping, one of the largest shipping companies in the United States. Talk about a change in circumstances overnight! Not to mention she was finally going to get close enough to Maximus to actually have a conversation after seeing him only from afar!
Tahlia had been so shocked by the turn of events, she’d kept the news to herself and hadn’t even told her mother, Sophia, or sister, Kaitlynn. How could she tell them she was tied indefinitely to the Knights and Maximus, the man she’d secretly crushed on the last year? Ever since she’d first seen him from across the room at one of the gallery’s exhibit openings, he’d been on her mind. Not that he had noticed her that night. When she’d asked Robert why he was telling her in advance of Arthur’s bequest, Robert indicated he thought there might trouble between the two brothers when they learned their fate and was hoping she’d play peacemaker.
It was a tall order, one which she knew wouldn’t be achieved overnight, but it was a start. They were family after all. And for some reason, Arthur, her dear friend, had chosen her to lead the effort, and Tahlia was determined not to let him down.
Tahlia tried not to show nerves as she and Maximus walked over toward Lucius and his family, but instantly a chill spiked in the air.
“Lucius.” Maximus nodded in his direction.
“Max.” Lucius used his youngest brother’s nickname, and Tahlia felt Maximus immediately tense beside her. She was sure it was used only by family and close friends, certainly not a brother he’d known nothing about until a couple of weeks ago.
Tahlia had been horrified when she’d heard that Arthur had been caught in flagrante with Lucius’s mother, Jocelyn, in a hotel room and had a heart attack. The news media had been unforgiving in their portrayal of the shipping magnate and his womanizing ways. And when the press had realized that Lucius was the product of their decades-long affair, they’d been brutal. It was no wonder both men were angry. They had a right to be. Arthur should have been honest with them much sooner.
“I’ve invited Ms. Armstrong,” Maximus began, but she interrupted him.
“Tahlia.”
Maximus nodded. “I’ve invited Tahlia to dinner this evening. And she thought you and your lovely fiancée might like to join us.”
Tahlia frowned. She was sure she’d said Lucius’s family, including his mother, but was that asking too much under the circumstances?
“That’s quite generous of you, Max,” Lucius replied with a wide grin. “And I’ll stay if my mother is welcome.”
Lucius was purposely baiting him, and Tahlia hated that she was the cause, but Maximus didn’t seem fazed—or at least not that he was showing outwardly. In Tahlia’s opinion, he plastered a fake smile on his face before saying, “I suppose, but it might be best to keep both our mothers on opposite sides of the table.”
“That would be prudent,” Lucius responded.
Soon they were all headed in the direction of the dining room. Tahlia was shocked when Maximus returned to her side after briefly speaking with his mother. She could see Charlotte Knight recoil with the turn of events as evidenced by the glare she threw in Tahlia’s direction, but she remained silent and did as Maximus instructed.
Once they made it to the beautifully appointed dining area, Charlotte immediately sat at the head of the table, making it clear this was her home and they were all just visitors in it. Maximus flanked his mother to the left, leaving the seat to her right open, which Tahlia reluctantly took. Meanwhile, Lucius and his mother sat beside Tahlia while his fiancée sat next to Maximus.
A uniformed man Tahlia could only assume was the butler came to speak with Mrs. Knight. Several seconds later waitstaff entered to fill their water glasses as well as offer them wine with their meal. Other than everyone selecting their choice of red or white, the silence in the room was deafening.
“Th-thank you for having us,” Tahlia offered, glancing at Charlotte. “It’s really quite generous.”
“Did we have much choice?” Mrs. Knight queried under her breath.
“If you don’t want us here, we can leave,” Lucius responded tightly from across the table, and Tahlia could feel the tension ratchet up a notch, but Maximus intervened.
“We’ve invited you and you’re our guest,” Maximus stated wanly. He turned to the company on his side. “Naomi Brooks—” he offered her his hand “—it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about Brooks & Johnson. I believe you use their products don’t you, Mother?”
He turned to Charlotte.
She gave the first sincere smile Tahlia had seen since she’d arrived. “Yes, I do. They are the only products my salon carries where I get my facials.” She lightly touched her cheek. “They’re really quite remarkable products.”
“Thank