Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107652 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107652 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
How was he making me feel this way?
This overwhelmed, hyperaware, and aching?
Lydia licked her lips, glancing at Evelyn kneeling politely. She didn’t bow but she did tip her chin in respect. “Evelyn has seen the error of her ways and is willing to join me in serving you.”
“Serving me?” Lucien asked. “Serving me how?”
Lydia smirked. “You know...”
“No, I don’t know.” Lucien linked his hands behind his back, his fingers going white they balled so tightly. “I want you to tell me. In explicit detail. Give me the truth of why you’re here without a single lie. If you can do that then perhaps, I’ll consider your offer.”
Lydia’s eyes gleamed. “Alright.” Sucking in a breath, she stepped forward boldly. “I’m here to be whatever you want me to be. Your mistress, your wife, the mother of your children.” She pressed a hand to her chest, sincerity blazing all over her pretty face. “I’m the daughter of one of your board members and my father said if I can share your burdens and bear your children, then I’ll never need to work again. I’ll have the prestige of having my family forever linked to yours. I’ll be known as the one who protected the future of Brimstone Industries and—”
“And once you bear my child, then what?” Lucien interrupted. “Once you have a puppet with Ashfall blood in their veins, what did your father say to do with me?”
Lydia gulped and flicked a look at Evelyn. “He...he would petition to set you free, obviously—”
“Careful,” Lucien purred. “You were doing so well. Are you sure you wish to continue with that lie?”
Tearing her gaze from Evelyn, Lydia braced her shoulders. “Fine. I’ll...I’ll tell the truth.”
“Go ahead.” Lucien nodded politely.
Whatever trap she’d set for herself didn’t prevent her from saying, “I’m guessing you already know that Marcus Ward and the rest of the board have offered a staggeringly large reward for anyone who can either synthesise your blood or bear your offspring.”
“I’m aware.” He smiled. “And the minute either of those things happen, my death is imminent, isn’t that right?” Lucien sighed as if all of this bored him.
“You have to admit, you’re a danger to your own company,” Lydia said. “You refuse to behave and have openly admitted if you ever get out of here, you’ll kill everyone involved in running it. You’re the biggest threat to the most profitable energy company on earth.”
“I see.” Lucien nodded with a low chuckle. “So what you’re really saying is, whoever has my child first will be the one who inherits my company? That they’ll rule my birthright through whatever spawn I give you?”
Lydia balled her hands but nodded bravely. “Basically, yes.”
Lucien shifted to look at Evelyn. “And you? I don’t believe you’ve suddenly decided to switch teams from killing me to fucking me.”
Evelyn climbed to her feet, trembling a little. “You’re just going to kill me anyway. What does it matter what I say?”
“That’s true.” Lucien nodded. “But won’t it feel good to tell me what you really think before you die?”
I sucked in a breath, my heart palpitating.
Even though they’d hurt me, I couldn’t sit by and watch. I couldn’t witness this man I had feelings for kill in burning blood.
“Lucien...” I coughed, another rush of sickness flooding my mouth. “Stop it.”
He didn’t even turn to look at me. “Well?” he asked quietly. “Will you speak, or should I end you now?”
Evelyn went white. She shifted on the spot as if she wanted to run but...where to? If Lucien had decided to kill her, nowhere was safe.
As if she’d reached the same conclusion, she raised her chin and smiled coldly. “Fine. You want the truth?” Her entire face twisted into something evil and crazed. “I’ll tell you. You’re right that it will feel good to tell you exactly what I feel.”
“Go on then.” Lucien sighed with scathing sarcasm. “I’m positively dying with anticipation.”
“Fuck you.” Marching forward as if she heard the ticking clock of her own demise, she spat, “Fuck you and fuck your fucking company. You want to know the truth? FINE.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she gave in to insanity. “I still want to kill you but...after all this time and watching you pick us off one by one, I now have a sick fascination of knowing what it would feel like to trick the most powerful man alive into bed, then kill you when you’re at your most vulnerable. To do to you what you’ve done to all these women. To destroy you and your company. You’re nothing more than a caged dog and fuck, I want to put you down.”
Lucien sucked in a breath.
My temper surged.
How dare she say that? How dare she refer to him as a—
“And while I’m being honest.” Evelyn’s eyes darted to Lydia. “I’ll tell you what I really think of you too.”