Lost then Found

  Lost then Found

  Valerie Wilde

  Copyright © 2018 by Valerie Wilde

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  About the Author

  Mother of two by day, super-secret romance enthusiast by night!

  Even when taking care of the husband and kids, Val’s hands are never far from the keyboard. She spends most of her evenings in front of a computer writing some of the wildest smut you can imagine.

  She understands that sometimes you just need to spend some quality time with a glass of wine and a particularly steamy book, and she likes to write those books.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Note from the Author

  Newsletter Signup

  Her Mountain Prince Excerpt

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Also by Valerie Wilde

  1

  Erica

  “Mommy, Mommy!”

  Jack pulled at my leg, his cute little face scrunched up in concern. I bent down to his level, knowing he had something very important to say to me.

  “You didn’t kiss me bye-bye!”

  He was such a sweet kid, I don’t know how I got so lucky to have him in my life. With a smile, I kissed each one of his chubby cheeks.

  “There you go, sweet boy. Now, you’re going to be good for me, aren’t you?”

  He nodded his head vigorously.

  “Mommy’s so proud of you!” I told him and he beamed at me, with a wide, happy smile.

  Further down the hallway, Joan, the owner of the daycare, started to clap her hands. Time to say goodbye! That was the sign for parents to finish up saying goodbye and the kids to come to her.

  I put my arms around him, giving him one last hug. Every morning it was tough to leave him behind, but I knew he was in good hands. I let Jack go and he instantly turned and ran down the corridor, already excitedly greeting his friends, without a backwards glance at me.

  Of course, I was glad that he was happy here, but I still felt that pang of guilt at leaving him everyday.

  Joan caught my eye and gave me a cheerful wink.

  When I’d picked this daycare for Jack, after months and months of research, it was because I knew that Joan was a kind woman who truly cared about all the kids she looked after. I trusted her with Jack, who was the most precious person to me in the whole world.

  With a sigh, I left the daycare and hailed a taxi to take me to the office.

  I loved my career, I really did.

  When I was younger, I dreamed of working in New York City with a big office all of my own. Now, here I was! I had finally got what I wanted.

  But life can be funny.

  Sure, I had the dream job that I’d yearned for when I was younger. But I also had a kid, and being a mother changes everything.

  The long office hours, the late-night international conference calls, all the hustle and bustle of a busy office — all of that used to be so exciting. But since my Jack was born, all I want is to be with him.

  But being a single mom means that isn’t possible.

  I wanted to be able to give Jack all the advantages that I could… and that meant making sacrifices.

  So, I worked hard, I sent him to the nicest daycare I could afford and I made ends meet. It wasn’t the glamorous lifestyle that I once envisaged for myself. But that’s OK.

  Having Jack in my life made everything OK. He really was my bundle of joy.

  The taxi drove through the city, speeding along a back street and then screeching to a halt when we hit a traffic jam. In the backseat, I toed off my sneakers and got my heels out of my large handbag, slipping them on so that I would look professional from the second I got out of the cab.

  There was an important meeting scheduled for that morning, a lunch meeting with a new client and a butt load of paperwork to get through today. I needed to get my head in gear for my work day.

  I hoped Jack was having fun with Joan and his friends.

  The taxi pulled up to Bank of Askovia building and I paid the fare, smoothing out my skirt as I got out. My PA was waiting for me by the front door, full of energy as she greeted me:

  “Morning Erica! Here,” she handed me a coffee, as we walked to my office.“Your 10am meeting has been canceled.”

  I paused, just as I was about to take a sip of coffee. Those clients had been clamouring for a meeting and I’d put a lot of work into preparing for it.

  “Do you know why?”

  Bethany shook her head.

  “Sorry. I don’t know all the details, but I heard it was something to do with one of the Directors wanting to step in and take over the negotiations.”

  “Great,” I muttered sarcastically. I hadn’t even started my coffee and my week was already off to a bad start.

  “I, uh, I don’t think it’s you,” Bethany said cautiously, hovering in the doorway of my office as I went to my desk and put down my coffee. “I heard Brian was supposed to meet with one of the German investors and it didn’t happen because one of the Directors wanted to do it instead.”

  I shook my head in frustration.

  Why would one of the Directors even be here? They were all supposed to be in that conference in Askovia!

  Something wasn’t right…I put a lot of goddam work into prepping for this meeting, and they were just going to take it from me?

  Who the hell was this guy anyway?

  2

  Aidan

  It felt good to be back in New York. There was something about the way that Central Park looked, early in the morning. From my penthouse, I could look out over the tops of the trees, the buildings around the Park and the Hudson beyond that. It felt like the whole world was laid out in front me and all I had to do was reach out and take it.

  My private jet landed yesterday and I’d headed straight for the office.

  I liked what I found there. Things were running smoothly. That wasn’t a surprise. Over the years, I’ve heard great things about the New York office. But then, I knew that she worked there and that meant the New York office was in great hands.

  I hadn’t been in New York for five long years, but I made sure to stay updated. I liked to keep an eye on things, because the company meant everything to me. It was my life. In fact, it was my blood…

  IBA, the Imperial Bank of Askovia, was founded in 1574 by two brothers and it had been owned by their family ever since.

  The Stryker family.

  My family.

  I’ve always been immensely proud of that fact. That stretching back, hundreds of years, my family has run this company, passing it down, one generation to the next. From our humble beginnings in Askovia, my family built an international banking empire.

  So, yes, I like to know what’s going on in the company. I like to be the one to make decisions, because I know that I’m right. I’m p
roud to be a CEO, just like my father was before me, and his father before him, going back through time.

  IBA is more than just a company, it’s a connection to my family. To all my ancestors.

  Still, this is an uncertain time for the IBA. My father has been the President for most of my life, and now he’s getting older. Even with the best doctors in the world, with all our money, nothing can hold back time. I don’t want to think about Dad’s mortality, but for the good of the business I have to start making preparations.

  Because, no matter what, no matter how morbid it feels, I need to protect my family. Because nothing is more important than family.

  I messaged my driver to meet me out front and headed to the IBA building.

  My great-grandfather had commissioned this building, I liked the history of that. I liked the sense of continuity, knowing that it had belonged to my family and that, when I had kids, it would pass on to them too.

  The full name of the company was spelled out in marble, built into the bricks themselves. I stood for a few seconds, admiring it before pursing my lips.

  It had been too long since I’d last been here. I wished things had worked out differently.

  I knew I was going to see her again and I steeled myself. I hated how things had ended between us, but it had been for her own protection.

  I’d stayed away from New York for five years for her protection too.

  3

  Erica

  “Uh, Erica,” Bethany knocked on my open door to get my attention. “I just saw Mr Kurosawo leaving the executive conference room.”

  I looked up from my computer screen with a frown.

  “Did you see who he was with?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know who it was though. Brian said it was the CEO.”

  My stomach dropped suddenly, knocking the wind out of me, I slumped down in my chair. The CEO? Not one of the other Directors? Did that mean that Aidan was back in New York? He’d taken over the meeting with Mr Kurosawo that I should have had?

  My mind blanked in shock.

  When he left, I thought my whole world had ended.

  I’d cried myself to sleep every night for weeks.

  I never thought I’d see him again and I’d made peace with that. Really I had.

  “The CEO?” I asked quietly.

  “Uh-huh. Brian said he hasn’t been here in a few years, or something? Erica? Are you OK? You look really pale. Do you want some water?”

  I shook my head.

  Aidan had made it clear that there was nothing between us when he left me, deserted me, without a word of explanation. I wasn’t going to let him upset me now. I had another man in my life, and that little man needed all of my attention! I didn’t have the time or energy to waste on Aidan anymore.

  Bethany was giving me a worried look and I sat up straight, pulling myself together, running a hand through my hair. It didn’t matter to me if Aidan was back. Sure, there were weird butterflies in my stomach, but that didn’t mean anything.

  “I’m fine, thanks Bethany.”

  She gave me a concerned little nod and went back to her desk, just outside my office door.

  I glanced back at the spreadsheet that I’d been working on, trying to make sense of what was happening.

  Aidan had come back to New York and taken over my meeting.

  Putting aside all the emotions I felt about him returning, it was just downright unprofessional to take over my meeting like that. I’d had some really important issues to raise with Mr Kurosawo.

  Aidan, with his need to control everything around him, had just waltzed in and taken over. He didn’t even ask for my research or input. I spent weeks preparing for this! My fingers drummed on my desk thoughtfully.

  Really, if this were anyone else, I’d go and talk to them. I’d go and tell them in no uncertain terms that, in future, it might be useful to include me in meetings that I’d prepared for! But, because this was Aidan, I held back. I couldn’t let my emotions run away with me.

  I sighed and pushed my chair back.

  I wasn’t going to let what happened between us affect my career. I walked halfway round my desk before I paused and reached back to flatten the framed photo I kept on my desk, putting it face down.

  It was a picture of Jack, taken on his fourth birthday only a few months before. We’d had a party with some of his friends from daycare. In the photo, he had a cute party hat on and the biggest grin. He looked so happy that just looking at that photo made me smile too, like I could feel his joy through the photo.

  If I was having a bad day at work, I would look at that photo and remember exactly why it was worth it. That smile made all the hard work worth it - I wanted to give him the best life that I could.

  I didn’t want Aidan to see Jack’s picture. I didn’t want him to start asking questions that I wasn’t ready to answer.

  I made my way up to the executive conference room, my heart in my throat as I expected to run into Aidan any second. Every time I turned a corner, I prepared to be face to face with the father of my child.

  These last few years, my life had revolved around Jack. I put effort into not thinking about Aidan. But now he was here and it was making me question myself.

  I’m a good person, I try to do the right thing even in difficult situations. I guess, I’ve always thought that was important, but nowadays I have to be a good example for Jack too.

  Right now, I was in a dilemma.

  I really didn’t want Aidan to know about Jack. He’d left me and that meant that he’d forfeited the right to be a parent. But…was that right?

  He hadn’t known I was pregnant when he left me. I hadn’t even known until a few weeks afterwards. Should I tell him now? Didn’t he have a right to know that he was a father?

  I had no idea how he would react to finding out that he had a son.

  Walking along the corridor, my stomach roiled and I felt sick with indecision.

  Aidan was a billionaire, many times over.

  God, maybe he’d think something terrible, like this was some attempt by an angry ex to blackmail him.

  Or, even worse, what if he wanted to have Jack in his life and sued me for custody? He was so rich he could afford the best lawyers. If he wanted to, would he be able to take my Jack from me.

  I stopped walking, my feet freezing in place as I was flooded with fear.

  No, Aidan wouldn’t do that. No matter what happened between us, I knew that he was fundamentally a good man. There was a reason that I’d fallen for him in the first place. He wouldn’t take Jack from me.

  And if he reacted angrily to the news that he was a father…well…I would deal with the fall out, whatever it was.

  That would be on him.

  Because I knew I had to do what was right - I have to be a good person for Jack.

  Yes, Aidan abandoned me. But he didn’t know that I was pregnant.

  I hadn’t known either. I could hardly believe it when I found out, just a few weeks after he left me. I’d bought test after test, trying each one, hardly able to believe it was real as each one turned positive.

  I had been so angry with him.

  He’d left me abruptly, with no explanation. He’d just disappeared one afternoon. We’d spent the previous night together, we’d eaten breakfast together that morning, we had reservations for that evening…But he never showed up. And then one of my colleagues happened to make an offhand comment about how the CEO wasn’t going to be working out of the New York office anymore. That’s how I found out that he’d left me! Not a word of goodbye, no explanation, nothing.

  I’d tried to work out what had gone wrong between us. Every time I tried to phone him it just went straight to voicemail, every text went unanswered.

  He hadn’t had the decency to even talk to me.

  That had hurt.

  So, when I found out I was pregnant, I was too angry, to reach out to him again. I didn’t need to leave another voicemail message.

  What would I have said on
that voicemail anyway?

  “This is Erica, the woman you’ve been ghosting for the last month and who you obviously want nothing more to do with. Well, surprise! I’m pregnant!”

  No. I was too proud to do that.

  The truth was, I had loved him. I really had. I didn’t want him to get back in touch just because he felt some obligation. I wanted him to want me for myself - I wanted him to love me.

  He’d never said that he loved me. But…even though he never said the words, I’d thought he felt something. There was a softness in his eyes when he looked at me, a need in the way that he held me that made me think he cared.

  I must have been wrong though. For him it had just been a fling, a bit of meaningless sex to while away the time. It must have been, or he wouldn’t have been able to walk away so easily, like there was nothing between us.

  We’d got to know each other when he’d come to the New York Office to oversee a fairly major organizational restructuring. IBA might be an old company, but they always on the forefront of modern management techniques. Both of us felt the same dedication to our work and it was that shared energy and drive that brought us together.

  The two of us would stay late at the office, working late into the night, until we’d figured our way through every last detail of a problem. Everyone would go home on time, but not the two of us. We were both so passionate about getting everything just right.

  It was a natural progression. All those late hours spent talking, sharing our ideas and then, one evening he leaned over and kissed me. Everything after that had been a mad rush of passion and desire.

  I never thought I’d be the type of woman who would sleep with the boss! It was such a cliche!

  I would hate it if my coworkers ever found out what had happened back then. They wouldn’t understand that it was about passion and uncontrollable lust that, for me, had turned into love.