VOWS & A VENGEFUL GROOM
Before I began writing VOWS AND A VENGEFUL GROOM, a series "bible" was put together containing all the background and shared information as well as detailed synopses of all six books. This opening to my synopsis includes character sketches and the backstory leading up to page one.
Premise: The disappearance of Howard Blackstone's chartered jet forces the return of his estranged daughter Kimberley to the family's billion-dollar business. Working with her ex-husband, Blackstone Diamonds' CEO, Ric Perrini, strikes powerful sparks of desire and conflict. Ric wants her back as his wife but can she trust his motives second time around? Does he want Kimberley...or does he want the boardroom benefits of a Blackstone bride?
Setting: Sydney, Australia
Timeframe: One month, January (mid-summer)
Character Summaries:
Kimberley (Kim) Blackstone, 32, elder of Ursula (d) and Howard's 2 surviving children. Green eyes, long dark hair. Her looks are strong and dramatic rather than classically beautiful. Divorced from Ric Perrini and estranged from her family, she is devoted to her career as a gem buyer and jewellery appraiser for House of Hammond in Auckland, NZ. Passionate and intense, unafraid to speak her mind, Kim appears confident because she is adept at hiding her vulnerabilities.
Ric Perrini, 38, 6'1", with a broad-shouldered, lean-hipped build. No family since his single mother's death. Blue eyes, thick black hair, could be a GQ cover model. Appreciates the luxuries he didn't have growing up but he's not all designer suits and smooth style. In business he is tough but fair and respected by colleagues and competitors alike. Earned his position as head of Blackstone Diamonds' mining division through hard work, ruthless ambition and a razor-sharp brain, not by marrying the boss's daughter.
Backstory:
Ric Perrini is close-mouthed about his background. Most people assume he doesn't have any family since his single mother (Allegra) died when he was a teenager. He supported them both for years without the help of the wealthy Italian family that cut Allegra off when she fell pregnant, finding innovative ways to make money while still excelling at school. He won a scholarship to an elite Perth private school and although he had to work harder for recognition above his smart AND rich AND connected classmates, those same boys gave him an insight into the world he vowed to conquer.
After working his way through a business degree, Ric was recruited by Blackstone Diamonds. Howard Blackstone took a keen interest in the ambitious young man; he liked his ruthless drive and aura of confidence, and earmarked him for executive advancement. Ric rewarded his mentor's faith in him by working even harder.
As a young child Kimberley Blackstone garnered more attention from her nanny and her aunt Sonya than either parent. Shattered by the abduction and disappearance of her first-born son, her mother sunk into a depression that ended in suicide; her father buried his grief in work. Kimberley learned that the only way to win Howard's favour was through his beloved business, and at an early age she set her sights on a future working beside him at Blackstone Diamonds.
After working with Europe's best cutters and jewellers, Kim returned to Australia with a plan to sell Blackstone diamond jewellery through their own chain of boutiques. Howard wasn't keen on the idea but she found an unexpected ally in Ric Perrini. Until then she had remained wary of the charismatic marketing executive who had forged a strong relationship with her father. Kim's mistrust of Perrini was shared by her brother Ryan. He believed Howard saw Ric as a surrogate for his abducted elder son, James.
Ric had wanted Kimberley from the first moment he saw her, but he didn't support her project to get her into bed. That was going to happen anyway. He believed in her passion and vision for Blackstone Jewellery and helped her put together a business plan that wowed Howard and the Board of Directors. After a celebratory dinner she finally asked to see his home and they became lovers.
When Howard learned of their affair, he hauled Ric into his office. "If you want to bed my daughter," he seethed, "you can damn-well marry her!" Ric called his bluff by marrying Kim in a spur-of-the-moment Vegas ceremony, and he returned from the honeymoon prepared to start job hunting. Instead of sacking his new son-in-law, Howard promoted him to head the new jewellery division. As well as a generous share and salary package, the contract included incentives on the birth of each grandchild.
Kimberley was appalled that Ric would accept such terms and incensed at losing the job she believed should have been hers. Ric disagreed. At 22, he argued, she lacked experience and the necessary management skills. Their quarrel escalated into dangerous territory when Kim accused him of marrying her to "become a Blackstone." Ric had worked hard to show he was as good as the Blackstones of the world. He'd done that and more; he deserved this position and all its perks and he didn't give an inch in their incendiary battle of words. He even made the mistake of admitting he wanted a wife who would bear him a stack of children and who would be at home as their primary care-giver. Kimberley said she couldn't be that wife; that their marriage was a mistake in all ways; before walking out on him.
Unable to reconcile herself with either Ric or her father's actions, Kim resigned from Blackstones. While overseas she had met her adoptive cousin Matt Hammond, who co-managed his family's Auckland (NZ) antique and fine jewellery business with his father Oliver. Knowing of the bad blood between Howard and Oliver didn't faze Kimberley. She needed a job that valued her skills and where she could prove her industry nous, and Matt was happy to offer her such a position at House of Hammond.
Ric gave his volatile wife time to cool down before pursuing her. Except she hadn't cooled down nearly enough and more heated words in the Hammond workroom caused Matt to intercede. Digging for reasons why she wouldn't return to him, Ric accused them of being more than work colleagues. Matt took offence and the men would have come to blows if Kimberley hadn't pulled them apart. When she sided with Matt, her hand on his arm as she told Ric where to take his dirty-minded insinuations -- "Matt is my cousin, for God's sake!" -- Ric left without another word. Pride would not allow him to chase her again and a year later their short marriage was officially dissolved.
Over the next 10 years Kimberley poured everything into her work and became Matt's "right-hand man" as well as a close friend. She hasn't spoken to Ric since their divorce or reconciled with her father, despite several attempts to lure her back to Blackstone's. The latest, delivered by Howard himself in November 07, ended with Kim telling Howard she would only return to Blackstone Diamonds "over your dead body." Howard retaliated by threatening to disinherit her. Fuming from the exchange, Howard almost bowled over Matt Hammond on his way out and flung a final "you will pay for this" vow at Matt.
That brings us to the point in Ric and Kimberley's life where the story begins. It's January 2, 2008. Kimberley is preparing to return to New Zealand from her annual escape-the-Christmas-festivities holiday. Ric has flown to the Blackstone diamond mine in outback Australia. And Howard Blackstone is about to leave Sydney in a charter jet, en route to Auckland and the opening of the latest in Blackstone's chain of high-end jewellery boutiques.
VOWS & A VENGEFUL GROOM begins the next day. To read the first chapter, click here.
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