Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“What about the person who lost their life so she could live? What about that innocent person?”
“He wasn’t innocent. He deserved to die, and death absolved his sins.”
“How dare you speak of religion?” I snapped.
“I can speak of it all I want because I’m the undertaker.” He said it with a straight face, no remorse. “My business is complicated, so you shouldn’t judge me based on what Cauldron has said. He knows nothing.”
“You just said it was a family business.”
“And business practices change with new ownership.”
He could weave whatever narrative he wanted, but it was still sickening to me.
“You still love him?”
The question was so unexpected, I didn’t know what to say. I looked at the rolling hills and the lush greenery as I considered what I would say. “Yes.” I finally turned to look at him, to see the aftermath of my choice.
“He betrayed your privacy and your trust. Say what you want about me, but I’ve never done anything of the sort. I’ve never treated you like a whore, but a queen.”
“I never said I forgave him.”
“Can you love someone and never forgive them?”
“It seems like it…”
“Not for long, in my opinion.” He looked past me and watched Raymond set a tray of drinks at the poolside. He excused himself and disappeared, leaving frosted glasses with ice and booze.
I took the one designated for me, a frosted lemonade with mint leaves sprinkled on top.
He didn’t reach for his. “There’s no future with him.”
“If you think you can brainwash me into turning on Cauldron, it won’t work.”
“Brainwashing someone is changing their beliefs. I’m just telling you facts that you haven’t considered seriously enough. Cauldron will never marry. And he’ll never have children. Two things that are important to you.”
“You don’t know what he wants.”
“I know who he is as well as you do.”
“You guys don’t talk.”
“People don’t change—and I’ve known him for a long time. Maybe he thinks his feelings for you are genuine, but they’re subconsciously fueled by my role in all this. If I truly didn’t want you, I think it would change a lot of things. Your only value is the value I’ve given you.”
“Wow, you’re selling me awfully short.”
“I’m just telling you how it is.”
I drank from the straw in my glass and avoided his gaze.
“I have a lot more to offer you.”
“I don’t love you, Grave. And I’m pretty sure you don’t love me either.”
“You’ve never tried. You said it was just a job. Now we have a chance to give it a real shot.”
“You can have any woman you want. Why waste your time with me?” Rich. Handsome. Authoritative. Women weren’t a currency he lacked. He never needed to pay for me in the first place.
With eyes so sharp they could cut glass, he said, “Because I like you.”
“That’s it?” I asked incredulously. “You like me?”
“Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Then you need to get out more.”
He grinned slightly. “I like that mouth too. It’s amusing.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
That twinkle was still in his eyes. “I want children. I want the perfect woman to birth them.”
“I’m a whore, far from perfect.”
“And I will elevate you from that title to something much more grand. Madame Toussaint.”
“Yeah, I’d rather be a whore.” I moved away from him, getting closer to the corner so there would be space between us. This man kept my mother’s necklace as leverage to gain my obedience, and I would never forget that.
The twinkle in his eyes evaporated, but he didn’t move closer. “He’s just going to break your heart again.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
My eyes shifted back to him. “But you won’t hesitate to do worse things.”
He grabbed his scotch off the tray and threw his head back to down it in a single go. His forearm wiped his mouth to catch the drop before it splashed into the pool. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. I’ll see you later.” His massive body moved through the water, making it part in his wake.
My eyes watched him go, focusing on the last words he said.
I’ll see you later.
ELEVEN
CAMILLE
After I finished at the pool and washed off in the spa—yes, he had a spa on his property—I headed back to my bedroom so I could barricade myself in for the evening. His final words could be interpreted as a generic goodbye, but I read between the lines like a goddamn detective. The last few days had given me a false sense of security.
But tonight, it would begin.
I stepped into my bedroom in the white robe given to me at the spa then proceeded to move the furniture back in front of the door. I’d have to skip dinner that evening, but after the last thing he’d said to me, I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. I pushed the vanity in front of the door first then put the tall dresser in front of that, making the door inaccessible from the other side. Unless he chopped down the door with a solid ax, he wasn’t getting through.