The Prodigal Heiress Read online

  The Prodigal Heiress

  Title Page

  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

  Epilogue

  The Prodigal Heiress

  By Vickey Rogers

  Copyright 2017 Vickey Rogers

  Smashwords Edition, License Note

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase and additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter 1

  Lexington Natalia Hunter was by no means skinny, but she had a trim figure that women envied. She considered herself of average height, neither tall nor short. When not tied up, her chestnut brown curls fell to her waist. She had a very pretty face and the greenest eyes anyone had ever seen.

  Many men had fallen for Lexi, but not one had gotten her. Men would have only gotten in her way. She learned enough in college to know that. Watching all the silly girls fall in love and end up leaving college for family life. She would wait until she had everything she wanted, and then she would see if there was someone she wanted to spend time with.

  At twenty-four she was serious about making her way in the concrete jungle and making a name for herself. Money was the real name of the game, and she wanted to win big.

  She was starting out in an entry-level job, but she had already been noticed by several people in high positions who would be of help to her in the future.

  Lexi sat down at the kitchen table in her tiny apartment to pay the bills that were due soonest. As she sorted the mail, a letter from an attorney in Washington came into view. Her heart beat a little faster. What would an attorney be writing to her for?

  Nothing good, she thought.

  She stared at the envelope a little longer and then tore the envelope open.

  “I might as well get it over with,” Lexi whispered.

  Dear Ms. Hunter,

  Please contact our firm as soon as possible. We have a matter of great urgency to discuss with you. We tried to get a phone number for you but have found you either do not possess one or your number is unlisted.

  I must stress this is an urgent matter and of great importance to you. Please phone 1-888-555-2793 at your earliest convenience.

  Sincerely,

  Grover Sutton

  Lexi eyed her cell phone while tapping the folded letter against her palm. She reached for her phone; then pulled her hand away quickly. She felt like calling right away, and then she felt like waiting to see if it would just go away. Putting the letter up on the refrigerator, she decided to concentrate on paying her bills. She would get back to the letter later.

  While Lexi wrote checks for two of the bills and paid the others online from her laptop, she kept glancing at the letter. It had way too much of her concentration. She had learned how to block out everything while learning what she needed to get the kind of job that paid the kind of money she wanted, but this was something she could not block out for some reason.

  Finally, the bills were paid. Her shoulders slumped when she discovered that she only had fifty dollars left for the week. She had gone a little crazy shopping the week before and had to pay her credit card off with her paycheck. She always paid it off at the end of the month so she was not charged interest. She was good at watching money, just sometimes the clothing stores were just too hard to resist. She did, however, always make sure she paid her bills before their due dates. Content with that thought, she turned back to the letter.

  Lexi decided to get it over with and call the attorney. She picked up her cell phone and flipped it open. She dialed the number and listened to it ring five times before a machine picked up. Of course! It was Saturday, and the office was probably closed. She hung up, deciding to take a glass of wine into the bathroom and take a long hot bath.

  She lit candles and put on some soothing Native American music, the slow rhythmic drum beat seemed to match her heart beat and the flute always did wonders in lifting her spirits. Lowering herself into the steaming water stung but then felt heavenly. The sweet aroma of the bubble bath she had added to the steaming water transported her to a garden full of roses when she closed her eyes. She sipped her wine and let her mind wander.

  As usual, her mind wandered to the future: a high-rise apartment in the wealthy part of town, a doorman to open the door for her, a man to operate the elevator—she wanted all of that. A chauffer, a limousine, and a bank account that seemed to bulge the walls of her financial institution; that was what she was willing to work very hard for as long as she had to. Anyone who got in her way wouldn’t stay there for long.

  She closed her eyes and daydreamed that she was in a beautiful bathroom in a black marble Jacuzzi, fresh cut flowers all around her, twenty-four-karat-gold fixtures, and a breathtaking view of the city. Lexi smiled as the feeling of luxury calmed her and made her feel that indescribable feeling of pampering that she longed for.

  Her daydream was cut short by her cell phone buzzing close to her head. She dried her hands quickly and then picked it up. It was her mother. Lexi rolled her eyes.

  “Hello,” Lexi said irritably.

  “Hi Dear… Your father and I were wondering if you’d like to come for dinner tonight. We’re having chicken and rice.”

  “Mother, I haven’t liked chicken and rice since I was ten. I prefer adult food now, steak or shrimp, or anything more elegant than chicken.”

  “Well, we can change the menu, but we haven’t seen you in so long. We’d just love to see you. We also have something to talk to you about.”

  Great... More God talk, Lexi thought. She knew what this was all about. Her mother wanted her to go to church and do all the “good little girl” things she had forced her to do when she was younger.

  “Mother, we’ve been over this a million times. I’m much too busy to go to church with you.”

  “Well, we’ll see about that. I’m not giving up on that, but this is something else.”

  “What?”

  “We need to speak to you in person.”

  “Okay.” Lexi gave in, knowing she was not going to win this round. She would make a quick night of it pretending to have a bad headache. That one usually worked, although her mother would call for a day or two after, asking if she was sure she was all right.

  Lexi lay back to enjoy her bath, but the mood was broken. She reluctantly got out of the bathtub and blew out all her candles.

  “Dear, you look wonderful,” Lexi’s mother exclaimed said as she walked into the kitchen. Miranda Hunter gave Lexi a tight embrace and was about to plant a kiss on her on the check.

  “Hello, Mother,” Lexi said stiffly. Her mother’s kiss had not made contact before Lexi pulled away. She walked toward the sliding doors that opened to a small deck where her father was grilling.

  “Well, we’ve changed dinner to be grilled steak with artichokes. How does that sound?”

  “Very good, Mother,” Lexi said, pleased with the change in menu. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

  “Oh, well, let’s go out to the patio with your father,” Miranda said as she led the way through the sliding glass doors.

  “Hi, baby.” Frank Hunter greet
ed his daughter with a wave. “How do you like your steak?”

  “Rare.”

  “Rare it is.”

  “Now, what is it you two want to talk to me about?” Lexi asked feeling a little irritated.

  “Well, dear.” Her mother paused and looked at her father.

  “Baby, your great aunt, Camilla, passed on,” her father said.

  “Aunt Cami?”

  Lexi felt a tug on her heart. Aunt Cami had been the only classy relative they had. She was the one Lexi wanted to be like. She owned a huge old mansion on the West Coast with a butler and chauffer, the whole nine yards. She was a snob to everyone except Lexi. She had found favor with her aunt and knew it was because they were kindred spirits. Now the only relative with class was gone, and she was left with these people who did not recognize the importance of money and stature and class. This was indeed a sad day.

  Lexi was never really close to Aunt Cami. Her aunt had more important things to do than to play with children. She always sent wonderful, expensive gifts to Lexi on birthdays and at Christmas, things she did not truly appreciate until she was about twelve.

  “That’s too bad,” Lexi said. “I liked her.”

  “The feeling was apparently mutual,” said her father with a strange grin on his face.

  Lexi looked quickly at her father, “What do you mean?”

  “She left you everything,” Lexi’s father said as he leaned back on the deck railing to look at Lexi.

  Lexi sat down hard on the edge of the table and stared at her father.

  “Frank, that’s a horrible way to tell her! You don’t just blurt it out!” Her mother looked as if she were watching a tennis match. Her head kept going back and forth. Her expression was angry one minute, worried the next. Finally, the anger won.

  Her mother yelled at her father, but Lexi barely noticed. Her ears were ringing loudly, and her face felt flushed. She felt dizzy and nauseous.

  Suddenly, her mother was there, supporting her.

  “You see, Frank! You’ve shocked her!”

  Her mother led her to one of the patio chairs, and she sat down heavily. Her mind was buzzing with a million questions and thoughts, none of which made any sense.

  Only one thing stood out: Lexington Natalia Hunter was now an heiress, an heiress to a multi-million-dollar fortune, a mansion on the ocean, a yacht, a limousine… just so much luxury, far past her most cherished daydream. She never had to work again a day in her life to have exactly the kind of life she always wanted. And being only 24 she had a long happy life ahead of her.

  “That must be what the attorney wanted. I’m supposed to contact him.”

  “Yes Dear… I had wanted to break it to you gently, but I guess your father was too excited.”

  “I’ll need to fly out to Washington to see the lawyer, I suppose.”

  “I’ll go with you if you’d like.”

  “No, Mother. That’s all right. I can do this myself.”

  “You’re so grownup. Okay.”

  “You’re smothering her, Miranda. She’s a big girl now and needs to do things on her own,” her father stated and walked over to pull her mother into his arms.

  When Lexi looked at him, her father winked. She gave him a thank-you smile and stood up.

  “Would you both excuse me? I need to go home and pack.”

  “Oh, dear, but dinner’s almost done. Stay and eat and then drive home. You’re in shock, and you should really eat something. You’re getting too thin,” her mother coaxed.

  “No, I, uh…I couldn’t eat anything.”

  Lexi’s stomach was in knots; but for the first time she could remember, they were good knots.

  Chapter 2

  The plane landed without incident early Monday morning. Lexi was beat. She had not slept for more than an hour at a time since finding out she was a very wealthy woman. It was hard to eat and even harder to keep her mind on anything but how much her life had changed. She could not even daydream about the possibilities because they were endless. She had already sent notice to her job that she would not return. That would show them for not giving her a good position right out of college.

  As she went to get her luggage, Lexi had to giggle softly to relieve the pressure in her chest from the urge to sing. She rubbed beside her mouth and smiled. Grabbing her luggage, she quickly made her way to hail a cab and gave the driver the attorney’s address. Soon, she would be in the lap of luxury.

  “Ms Hunter, please have a seat. Mr. Sutton will be with you shortly,” the older woman who smelled of expensive perfume told Lexi and motioned to an area with a couch and two chairs.

  Lexi sat in one of the leather chair. It had to be one of the most comfortable chairs she had ever sat in. This attorney handled only millionaires and upper-crust people. It was obvious by his waiting room that he was favored by the wealthy.

  “Ms. Hunter, you may go in now.”

  “Thank you,” Lexi said as she walked with the air and purpose of a VIP. She kept her head up and pointed forward. She was walking the walk of confidence. Once she opened the door, her confidence faded for a moment as she peered inside the massive office of Grover Sutton. She suddenly felt very small. The fact that she was now an heiress came back to her, and strengthened her and her back straightened once again.

  Mr. Sutton had his chair turned away from her. As she closed the door, he turned around and stood up. A mop of gray hair with unruly curls and soft gray eyes that softened the starkness of his appearance put Lexi at ease. She felt comfortable walking up to him and taking his offered hand. Lexi craned her neck to look up at Mr. Sutton and smiled.

  “Please have a seat, Ms. Hunter,” Mr. Sutton said kindly. “I’m sorry for the circumstances that have brought you here today. Ms. Broadferd was one of my favorite clients. I share your grief deeply.”

  “Thank you. Aunt Cami was the only relative I felt I had a connection to. I’ll miss her greatly.” Lexi dabbed at a nonexistent tear.

  “I’m sure, as we all will. Let’s get started. I don’t want to detain you longer than necessary. Your aunt was very generous with you. She left you everything. Now, while this might seem a blessing, it can also be a curse if you’re not educated in handling this amount of wealth.”

  “I must admit I don’t know where to start. Can you help me?” Lexi smiled at the attorney.

  “Why, yes. As a matter of fact, I was going to suggest it. I was in your aunt’s employ for thirty years, and I’d be pleased to help you also.”

  It was clear that he was very pleased not to have lost the account with the death of his client. Lexi understood that, even appreciated it. He was a man who knew the importance of people with money. She was now one of those people.

  They talked about a few details, and then Mr. Sutton handed Lexi a very heavy ring of keys.

  “These are to the house. Most every room locks, so that’s why there are so many keys. Your aunt never updated the house. She only restored where needed. Will you be keeping the antiques, or will you be modernizing the house now? I can help you liquidate the antiques if that’s your preference.”

  “I think I’ll have a look at everything before I decide. It’s been a very long time since I was there. It’s all too gray a picture to make any decisions.”

  Mr. Sutton smiled, obviously pleased with her answer. True, most women her age would not realize the worth and class of antiques. However, she was not that foolish or naïve.

  “Would you like to go to the house now? I had Reeves, your aunt’s…well now, I guess he’s your chauffer, bring the car in case you wanted to stay at the house tonight,” Mr. Sutton said. He smile and tilted his head slightly.

  “Why, yes. I would love to.” Lexi held back her excitement, not wanting to look like an overeager child. She knew her eyes were sparkling, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Excellent. I’ll have him waiting in front of the building as you walk out.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Sutton. It was very good to meet you,” Lexi said
in a sincere tone, her eyes never leaving his.

  He took her hand in both of his as she offered it and said, “I’m honored to have met you, Ms. Hunter. I trust you’ll let me know if you have questions or if you’re in need of my services.”

  “Yes. Thank you,” She smiled sweetly, feeling like royalty.

  Lexi headed out of his office and back toward the big, glass doors where she saw a large, black limousine waiting. A man of stocky build, medium height, and a pock-marked face stood ready to open the door.

  She felt as if Christmas had come early this year, only no other Christmas could compare to this. It was her favorite holiday, all the rich colors and food and presents, especially from Aunt Cami. Now Aunt Cami had left her the greatest present she would ever receive: a mansion, a limo, a yacht, and many millions of dollars to live the rest of her life in luxury.

  Chapter 3

  The drive to Rivenwood Manor was long, but the countryside was breathtaking. Lexi felt more at peace than she had in years. She would not have believed that being away from the lights and sounds of Chicago would be anything but boring. Somehow having attained her goal of wealth overnight had made her feel more at ease with the simpler life, or so she told herself. She had loved the hustle and bustle when she was trying to earn her fortune; but now that she had the wealth, who needed it? She would be happy being able to walk around her estate in the wee hours of the night and not have to worry about a strange person trying to rob her or any other such horrible thing.

  She would bathe herself in luxury and pamper herself totally. What more did she need? Her life was all she had ever wanted it to be now, and she was going to make the most of it.

  Lexi drifted off to sleep, thinking of all the wonderful things she was going to do for herself. Thoughts of rooms full of roses and soft music, hours of relaxing, and hobbies born out of imagination and not necessity filled her dreams. She could do anything she wanted and go anywhere she wanted. Her life would indeed be full and satisfying now. Never again would she want for anything.