Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I knew Montgomery and I were lodged in a room on the north side of the building, so I scampered the opposite direction once I got to the ground floor.
Voices had my feet stilling on the cool wood floor.
I crept closer, looking every direction for anyone who might catch me. The coast was still clear.
“—been impressed with your progress here at the Manor. I wasn’t sure you had it in you, but your demonstration at the last Invitation was encouraging.”
I covered the last few steps and pressed my ear up against a mahogany door of what I assumed was the south dining hall.
But when I did, the entire door shifted slightly, which is when I realized that it was cracked open. Probably the reason I could hear the voices so clearly in spite of the heavy door. I froze, holding the door as steady as possible.
“I’ve always been on your side, Dad. I know I don’t always do things exactly the way you do, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t on the same page. All I’ve ever wanted to do was prove myself to you. I want to work side-by-side with you and prove to you that my vision for the company’s future is solid.”
I heard the creak of a chair shifting. “I want to build on what you’ve worked your whole life to create. Isn’t that what the Order is all about? Family and legacy? I worked my whole life to be a son you can be proud of.”
“That means a lot, Montgomery. It really does. It’s true I worried about you. I worried your mother made you too soft.”
“You saw for yourself that I’m not soft.”
“Then why always with the black collar?” his father pressed. “She’s nothing. An object you’ll discard once you’re done with her. We get bitches like this for a reason. They’re no one. If we play a little too hard and break them, no one will notice they’re missing. You might not be soft, but I’m not sure you’re ruthless enough for the business I’ve created.”
No one will notice they’re missing.
There it was in black-and-white. The truth. Not every woman came out of this with a Happily Ever After. What happened to them? The ones they “broke” beyond repair? Were they killed? Hidden away in asylums? I had no doubt the Order had the power to do either and make a person completely disappear.
Oh God, what the hell was I doing? Shoving my head in the sand and pretending to play house with Montgomery? Imagining I was in love when this was obviously all just a game to them? One big mind-fuck of a game.
Montgomery’s next words only confirmed my fears.
“I have to play both sides,” Montgomery said. “I’ve had to spend more than three months with her. That’s the part you don’t understand, Dad. Sometimes a deal has to be finessed.”
His voice lowered and became more intimate. I had to strain to hear, but I did—I heard every word. “I don’t like women when they’re screamers and fighters. I prefer to dominate them and have them begging for my cock. I won’t apologize for what gets me off.”
My heart sank down through the floor.
Yes, Montgomery was smart… really fucking smart.
Montgomery’s voice was casual but calculated, like this was a pitch he’d been waiting to make, “It’s why I’m the perfect partner for your company. You need a clean, untouchable face if you want to pull off these new deals. Along with a swath of legitimate deals and business to hide whatever else you’re doing behind closed doors.”
Another creak of a chair.
“Don’t you get it?” Montgomery added. “That’s me and what I bring to the table. Officially, you’ll hand over the business to me, but you’ll stay on doing exactly what you are now. It protects the company and insulates us from financial scrutiny. Why stop at being kings? Together, we’ll make more money than God.”
With one arm I clutched my stomach and the other I slapped a hand over my mouth. That two-faced golden-tongued liar had been between my thighs this very morning. He’d rocked me to one orgasm after another.
He’d whispered sweet, sweet things to me. We’d made plans.
I’d believed him. Hook, line, and sinker.
Because I was as much a fool as ever when it came to men.
The only thing that could make me any more idiotic would be getting caught right now. So, I spun as quietly as I could and raced back up the stairs to my room.
Ha. Not my room. My prison cell.
And not five minutes later, my handsome warden returned.
Montgomery looked at me speculatively when he came in. I was staring at a page but unable to read it.
He paused when he came in, obviously waiting for me to interrogate him about where he’d been. Act normal. In a den of vipers, I had to learn to be just as duplicitous as every other vile snake here.