Jade Cabral strides into the 21st century as a golden guy. Brilliant and beautiful, with a California cool and a Harvard education, he is poised for wealth and success in New York’s Financial District.<br><br>But Jade harbors a secret flaw, a thirst for revenge against Se?or Rodriguez, the California landowner who deprived his father – Se?or’s out-of-wedlock son, John Virgil -- of his family’s rightful inheritance and place in the world. Jade thinks if he succeeds in New York, he can make up for every loss and humiliation his family has endured at the hands of Se?or. That searing quest leads him into the arms of Nan Spencer, a lovely, fragile socialite, and to the top of the financial world, the Twin Towers, on September 11, 2001.

Seamless Sky

“I’m not just doing this for me, Pumpkin. It’s for us. And Jade, too. I plan on sharing Belleville and Bethzatha with him as well.”


But Lleyton would not be convinced, and the visit ended with him refusing to accompany her anymore to Belleville or the manor house.


Teenage boys being teenage boys, however, Lleyton couldn’t resist an invitation to join Belle for some “special alone time” at her house the weekend Jade went up to San Francisco to see his pal Lowell, who was interviewing for a new job. Jade made specific arrangements for Paris to stay overnight. But Belle told her that a girlfriend would be staying over, and that anyway, she didn’t need a babysitter, though Paris was certainly welcome to stop by any time.


“What if she comes over now?” Lleyton said. He could barely get the words out. As Belle led him to the couch, his heart pounded so hard and his mouth went so dry that he couldn’t breathe, maybe because he was holding his breath.


Chapter 37