Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 135536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Thankfully, Dallas Townsend harbored a red line.
Based on our fleeting introduction, it was her only one.
I’d be hard-pressed to conjure a woman as colorful as her. She remained in constant sixth gear, ping-ponging from stealing food to running her mouth like it was a Boston Marathon contestant.
Her mere face made me want to pop four Tylenols and wash them down with brandy.
If I’d known her personality prior to acquiring her as my newest investment, I would’ve chosen to hear that pasty brute wax on about her for the rest of his pathetic life over marrying her myself.
Oliver slapped his knee, laughing. “She gave him hell.”
“I’m sure he’ll retaliate in kind once they tie the knot.” Zach typed away on his laptop, only half-invested in the conversation. “What happened after you got to her house?”
I propped against the headboard, massaging the foot my future wife had pierced a straight hole through with her heel. “Her father sent her to her room. Then we closed a nice sweetheart deal. I’m going to hemorrhage donation money into his non-profits for the next five years and introduce him to some people he wants to pitch businesses to.”
And for what?
I could count on one hand the number of times I would see Dallas Townsend after the wedding ceremony—and have fingers left over.
“Well.” Oliver tugged his brown leather gloves up his fingers, tossing the butt of his cigar through the window. “As much as I enjoy reciting the night Romeo ruined his life, I have horses to see and women to corrupt.”
Zach popped a dark eyebrow. “Any woman who is dumb enough to end up under you has already been thoroughly tarnished.”
Oliver sighed. “It’s true.”
Zach’s nose scrunched. “Aren’t you bored?”
Whereas Oliver loved all women, Zach couldn’t find a single one that lived up to his unreasonable ideals. In fact, Mrs. Sun arranged weekly dates with ABC heiresses to shipping, copper mining, and software companies.
His favorite pastime was shutting them down on absurd bases, such as too pretty, too smart, too rich, too charitable, and my personal favorite, too much like him.
“I’ll stop chasing tail when I die.” Oliver rose to his feet, slipping his wallet and phone into a sleek leather courier bag. He frowned. “Actually, even then, the worms aren’t safe from my libido. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make the most out of this shithole before we depart, and there’s no better way I can think of spending my time than not with you.”
With Oliver off to make the world a worse place, Zach and I stared each other down.
On paper, we shared much in common.
A single entity motivated us.
Money.
Zach had two multi-billion-dollar exits under his belt on self-developed apps. Meanwhile, I reigned over my father’s company as CFO, dabbling in hedge funds and high-risk investments for fun. Since graduating from MIT, I’d tripled Costa Industries’ revenue.
We were reserved, calculated, pragmatic, and unmoved by societal expectations. Both our parents pressured us to marry. And they would go to extreme lengths to walk us down the aisle with the future mother of their grandchildren.
But our similarities ended here.
Unlike Zach, I didn’t possess a single nerve in my whole body. Not to mention integrity, a concept I found as mythical as mermaids. I did atrocious things and still slept like a baby at night.
Zach, on the other hand, was genuinely decent. It didn’t matter much, since he found ninety-nine percent of the population hard to stomach due to lack of sufficient intelligence.
“So.” Zach didn’t lift his eyes from the screen. “Think you’ll develop a conscience and let the poor girl loose?”
I swung my feet to the floor and planted my elbows on my knees, digging my palms into my eye sockets. “No.”
“Why not?”
A million reasons existed, but only one mattered. “Because she was Madison’s, and he deserves nothing good in his life.”
“So, she is good.”
“Did I say good? I meant insufferable.”
“High praise.”
“Insufferable is praise, as far as she’s concerned. The woman could drive a monk to murder.”
“Interesting.” He did not find that interesting. He did not find anything that wasn’t money, technology, and art even remotely stimulating. “I’ve yet to hear you so passionate about a woman, one way or the other, since Mo—”
“Do not speak her name. At any rate, Dublin and I will be married on paper only.”
Was I telling this to Zach or myself?
“Dublin, huh?” He ripped his gaze from the screen only to deliver a pitiful look. “Don’t underestimate the power of paper. Money’s made of that shit.”
“Twenty-five percent linen. Seventy-five percent cotton,” I corrected.
Not that he didn’t know.
“Checks, then. What do you know about her?”
Not much.
After yesterday, my curiosity wasn’t piqued, to say the least.
Seducing her had been easier than taking candy from a baby. Ironically, taking candy from her was something I didn’t think was possible without losing an arm.