She stared at him for a moment, seriously considering taking the out he’d generously given her. After a moment, she slumped back in her seat.
“No. I might as well get this over with,” she said resignedly. “I’m Alan and Lynn’s daughter. This is all part of their world, and I guess I have to get used to dealing with it. Besides, I’d just be postponing the inevitable.” She looked over at him. “Thanks for saying you’d take me back, though.”
He smiled and reached into his pocket. He reached for her hand, and she felt the cool metal against her skin. A moment later, she held up her wrist to examine Lynn’s bracelet sparkling in the sunlight. The vision heartened her. It would be the first time she’d wear it in public. There were some advantages to not keeping her identity secret anymore. She gave him a grateful glance.
“For courage,” Dylan said, putting the car into drive.
*
SHE could hear the manic-like chatter emanating through the door even before Rick Preston from Durand’s public relations department opened it for Alice, Dylan, a Special Agent Lee, Guy Morales, and Darla Sparrow, the region’s U.S. attorney. Alice felt a little numb as they walked toward the head table. The ballroom had gone hushed at their entrance, the exception being the repeated clicks of hundreds of cameras. Dylan pulled her chair out for her, then sat directly next to her. As he seated her, his fingertips skimmed against her back. His touch helped to clear the hazy, surreal feeling that pervaded her as she looked out at the crowd of people.
Rick Preston made a brief statement, and then introduced Dylan.
Listening to Dylan speak, Alice was slowly able to filter out a good portion of her surroundings and anxiety. With a strange sense of nostalgia, she recalled how last year, she’d spent so much time researching Durand Enterprises and its CEO for her graduate research project with Maggie. She’d become a little obsessed with Dylan Fall, even then, looking at photographs of him, watching news footage of him speaking. She was reminded acutely of how commanding a speaker he was, how confident and firm, brilliant and sharp without ever seeming cocky or domineering. Kehoe’s crowd—if, indeed, Kehoe had ever really had any following at Durand—could rumor-monger, insinuate, and scoff all they wanted. Alan Durand had known exactly what he was doing in designating Dylan as his company’s leader.
Dylan spoke in his straightforward, succinct yet eloquent manner, never hesitating as he related more personal details than he ever had before in public—to Alice’s knowledge—about his relationship with Alan, Lynn, and Addie Durand and about his presence at Addie’s kidnapping. He didn’t elaborate on his lifetime pursuit to find that little girl, saying he would leave those details up to the U.S. attorney. Alice found his sidestepping of the issue remarkably modest of him, since he was the sole reason she sat there at that moment. But that, too, was typical of Dylan.
He went on to make a statement in regard to how Alan Durand had provided for his daughter, should she ever return. He threw firm support behind Alan Durand’s heir, and provided believable reassurances for Durand Enterprises continued growth, global leadership, and fiscal success.
The energy level in the room had mounted noticeably as Dylan spoke. By the time Dylan said he’d take a few questions, almost every camera was turned on Alice. She wished she could disappear. The hazy sense of unreality she’d been experiencing only amplified.
“You mentioned that the majority of shares are held in a trust that was to be returned to Adelaide Durand if ever she should return,” one male reporter began. “What does that mean for the management of Durand and the many charitable projects it supports?”
“I can respond in regard to the management of Durand, because the trust and Durand Enterprises’ functioning assets are two separate entities. As for what will happen with the trust, that’s not up to me. It’s up to Alice—Addie. She can decide today, or she can take her time. She can alter her plans at any future date. It’s entirely up to her. Whatever she decides,” Dylan paused and glanced over at Alice briefly. Alice’s racing heart gave a little leap. “The public should know that Durand Enterprises will continue to function and flourish as it has in the past decade. The trust was earmarked by Alan Durand for his daughter, and whether or not employees and the public realize it, daily operations at Durand have been carried out since his death with that legacy kept intact. Absolutely no impoverishment or strain will be incurred on the company itself.”
A roar had started up in her ears. She understood that everything Dylan was saying was true, but there was a difference between logical understanding and emotional getting that she was the sole mistress to a vast fortune.