Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 6

The Caldwell Name is at Stake

Chapter 6

Seth’s POV

I arrived at my parents‘ home earlier than usual. I needed to seriously speak with them about what Roger was about to do to Ana. We need to ensure that Roger ends up looking bad in this situation, not Ana. I had a difficult time staying home last night. My sister, who is one of the nicest people I know, has done too much for this jerk.

He had never been worthy of her; he just didn’t know it yet. I knew that Ana had created a fake profile, so Roger never discovered her true identity. That was the deal that was made. I know she stuck to it, as that ***** had already married Sasha. He wouldn’t have done that if he had known who Ana was. I couldn’t wait for

him to find out what a monumental mistake he had made.

Roger was the definition of a man–child. My sister had already purchased their new home, a lovely villa, for them to live in after getting married. He should have been the one to do that. He moved in over two months ago. Everything had been handpicked by Ana as she made the villa their home. I can’t imagine how terrible she is going to feel once she realizes what Roger was planning to do to her.

Roger forgot a life lesson: you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. He was so entitled that he honestly thought he was going to get away with this unscathed. I would never allow that to happen. I would defend Ana with all I had, and I was going to have Mom and Dad help me do it. Dad didn’t get where he was by being lenient when his family or his bottom line was attacked. I wasn’t looking forward to showing them the video. But it

had to be done.

I usually arrive around noon to have lunch with them, but I got here early. Ana would occasionally join us, had to arrive early in order to get a plan together. I had already solved the problem. Holden liked Ana; he never balked at the arranged marriage that our mothers cooked up. Our fathers also supported the union. They came up with it when Ana was fourteen years old, and her crush on Holden started.

After clearing the gate, I drove up the winding drive to pull up at my parents‘ home. I smiled just thinking about how excited she was going to be when she found out that she was going to marry Holden. She started her junior year in high school just fine, but then at Christmas, everything changed. It wasn’t a gradual change either, it was like she had flipped a switch, and all her affection disappeared. It was apparent she didn’t want to be around him anymore. Holden didn’t know what had happened. He was as in the dark as we were at the

time.

Ana was always a little chunky, but she was still beautiful. She looked like our mother, except her hair wasn’t blonde. She had Dad’s brown hair, the only thing she received from him. He doted on her; we both fell in love with her the moment she was born. She had Mom’s caramel–colored eyes, which to me were her best feature. After she wrote Holden off, she started to gain weight. Mom and Dad were concerned. They knew something was wrong, but Ana refused to talk about it.

They sent her to therapy, but she only went a few times before she refused to go again. No one knew how to help her. None of us mentioned her weight gain. We did ask if she wanted to talk, and she would just look at

The Caldwell Name is at Stake

1. us. We backed off, and she lost a little weight after starting college. She was happier there than she had

been in a long time. I was just glad that she had moved on. Things would be tense when Holden would come over to our house. So I started going over to his house more often.

Our parents never pushed, and Naomi, Holden’s mother, told us to leave it alone. She said, “When Ana wants to tell us what happened, she will. I know it isn’t that sweet girl’s fault.”

That comment was always made with a glare towards Holden. We knew whatever it was had been serious, but Ana never said a word. She was focused on designing and working with the temporary CEO Dad had put in charge of the company. She studied hard, and she excelled. She was always successful in whatever she undertook. She made it look easy. No one knew Fashion Forward was hers. Our parents had given us both the funds to start our own business when we graduated from high school.

They wanted us to do what we wanted to do with our lives. Dad told me that I could always take over his business when the time came, and I will. I have someone in mind to run my company when the time comes. owned an e–sports and merchandise company that was doing well. But it wasn’t the kind of challenge I needed. I needed more, and I was now being trained to step in when Dad decides to step down in the next year or two.

I pulled up to the mansion and quickly got out. I was proud of my father for taking the five million dollars he had been given by my grandparents to start his company after he married Mom. He had been stunned to find out that she was a Wade. They were an elite family, and still hold wealth and status. They keep a low profile. Our father had turned that money into a multi–billion–dollar company.

Our father understood why Mom had hidden her wealth from him. He loved her for who she was. He dotes on her to this day, their love still evident in all they do. They are a team and are willing to do anything to protect each other. I wanted a love like that, but I’ll admit I haven’t gone looking for it yet. Holden and I have played the field and now know who and what we don’t want for our wives.

Holden was the lucky one; he would have a precious treasure for his wife. I’ll still be on the lookout, but I’m not liking the selection that is currently out there. I have to admit I’m glad that Naomi and Hudson have stopped trying to push Tiffany at me. She was a mistake I had made years ago. I should never have messed

with her that one time. It made her think she had a chance, but I’ve never liked her.

I avoided Tiffany like the plague after that, and we were glad to go to college. The next time I saw Ana, it was Christmas. She was fine with me, but the love and care she had for Holden was gone. She never mentioned it, and our mother assured us all that it was just a minor setback. Ana was a teenager, and she had stress at school. She had a security detail, but they had been instructed to stay back unless someone physically

“Hey, Mom, yeah, I know I came early, but I needed to show you and Dad something. I don’t know how well you’ll take it, but don’t worry. Holden and I have already devised a plan to prevent Ana from being humiliated. Holden has agreed to marry her, in Roger’s place,” I replied. I needed to let them know that, although this was a problem, a solution had been created.

“Is it a video of Roger admitting he’s married and his wife is already pregnant?” my father asked. I was shocked that he knew. He seemed pretty calm. I know for a fact that he would never allow anyone to intentionally hurt Ana.

“It is. If you knew about it, why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. Why was I not kept in the loop?

“Holden sent it to Ana, and she was naturally upset. She was crying, and we all knew that you would rush over and beat Roger up. She didn’t want you to get in trouble or arrested. She’s already working everything out. She’s cancelling the wedding. She is going to sell her shares and watch as Roger’s business collapses. Let her deal with this, Seth. I am going to help her. Ana will be fine. She’s hurt, but she’s resilient. I already know that she doesn’t want to marry Holden,” my father replied.

“I have to say that I’m a little hurt she didn’t call me,” I responded.

“Ana didn’t want you to get into trouble trying to defend her, and she knew you would. She was thinking of you and the company. It would cause a scandal. She’s right, it would cause a problem, but she wants to be the one to deal with Roger. Despite her being heartbroken, she still has her head on straight. We didn’t try to exclude you. She just needed us to help her make plans. She also thought you might have come over with Holden, and she didn’t want to see him,” my mother advised, and I flushed. I would have done exactly that.

“I know she wants to deal with this alone, Mom, but the invitations have already been mailed out. We can’t

stop the wedding; we can only change out the groom. Holden has always cared for Ana. Things are awkward

between them, but you know as well as I do that Ana will have to get married in three weeks. It’s out of our

hands now. She has to realize that we can’t back out of this. This isn’t just about Ana anymore. The Caldwell

name is at stake,” I reminded them.

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