Boxed Set: Seduced For Revenge (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (12 page)

Fifteen years ag
o
…

“
This is Reporter Brown
,”
Thomas was sitting at his desk when the call came in on his cell phone.

He was working for an up and coming newspaper called the Daily Business Report, which carried mostly business stories. He was a young reporter, known for his eagerness to get the news first. He was young and hot-blooded, eager and hungry to make a name for himself.

“
I have some news that will make your day
,”
the man on the line said.

“
Who is this
?”
He asked.

“
Do
n’
t worry about that. There are two thousand dollars in it for you if you run this story
,”
the man said.

Thomas thought about his car payments, his rent and the ring he wanted to buy to propose to his girlfriend. Two thousand dollars would go a long way to getting him out of trouble. He agreed to meet the man and get the information needed to print the story as soon as possible

He met Eli and a couple other people who told him that Fischer Industries had sold inferior products that caused medical problems. There was a woman involved named Marcy, who showed him rashes on her face from the moisturizer she was using.

He ran the story with a photo of Marc
y’
s rash. Soon after the CEO of Fischer was voted out, and the company handed over to another man, the one who wrote him the check. Soon after Edward Fischer committed suicide and Thomas was deeply affected by it so he started digging. Marcy admitted that she also was paid by Harmon to lie and that the rash was makeup done by a professional makeup artist. The others involved also admitted to it, however, when he tried to return the check to Harmon the man would not accept it. Harmon threatened to have him lose his job and everything taken away from him if he ran a retraction.

Thomas lost his girlfriend, his car and apartment, was assaulted and warned to keep his mouth shut. He lived with the guilt for so many years but could no longer endure the guilt that he was instrumental in causing a man to take his own life.

As Koltan read the book his heart sank as realization dawned on him. According to Thomas, it was all a setup to get rid of Edward and the mastermind behind it was no other than his own father. There were a few blank pages and then he found another set of notes, undated.

I was sent to cover the story of a businessman who was on the roof of an apartment building. The atmosphere was very tense when I arrived. I had no idea who it was but I watched as the crowd gathered and the police tried to control everyone. The fire department was already there and soon after an ambulance arrived.

I inched closer to the building and tried to get a good look at the person on the edge of the building, except, the afternoon sun glare blinded my eyes, preventing me from seeing clearly. So I asked someone next to me if she knew who it was. The woman, about twenty three, blond and pretty, told it was the man named Edward Fischer.

I felt like I wanted to faint. Tha
t’
s when I knew something was wrong. It was my gut telling me. Before I could ask more questions the man was falling through the air. I closed my eyes to shut it out, but I could hear the thud and then a crack as his body hit the pavement and his head cracked, as I would later learn.

What I also learned that day was that his eleven year old daughter and his wife both witnessed their father and husband as he jumped from the building they called home.

By the time he was done reading he felt sick to the stomach. If Victoria witnessed such a thing, she must have some deep scars. He wanted to hold her close and tell her that everything would be alright, but he knew deep down, the reason for her return and the reason she had been disappointed about not working with Harmon. Revenge.

For the first week sh
e’
d avoided him, now it was virtually impossible. They had meetings to attend together. There was the executive meeting in a few minutes and she was not looking forward to it. Did she make a rash decision breaking up with Koltan?

He was already in the board room when she got there. The seat she always sat in next to him was empty, the only one, so she had no alternative but to take it. She could feel his eyes on her and she took a chance to glance at his face. She was expecting him to look at her with the same affection as before, however, instead she got a stoned expression.

“
This meeting is to announce the pending acquisition of a small software company. The board and I met a few days ago and we have decided to go ahead with the buyout. Miss Brennan
,”
Koltan was now addressing her.

Victoria looked at her boss and his frosty eyes gave her the chills
,“
Yes
?”
She said, her voice a little shakier than she would have liked.

“
I need you to run through their system and give me a report as soon as possible
,”
he instructed, his eyes lingering on her longer than it should have.

For a few seconds their gaze held and she detected something else in his stare. As she looked away a flicker crossed his face, something sof
t…
maybe understanding? But when she looked back at him, he was already looking across the table at Robert and giving other instructions.

She had no clue what else transpired in the meeting after Koltan spoke to her. That thing she saw in his face, what was that? She wondered. For the rest of the work day she could hardly concentrate. His face never left her, from the stoned expression with his cold eyes to the flicker of softness she saw just as she was turning away.

“
He must be hating me now
,”
she whispered, standing by the window in the office. As usual the only place she felt completely relaxed was there when she was looking out over the reservoir.

In an effort to figure out what was going on in his mind, she waited until she knew he was leaving the office to get off work as well. This way, she could coincidentally meet him in the elevator, hallway or parking lot. She hoped it would be the elevator.

He slipped in as she turned the corner so she had to run the few meters to catch it before it closed. A flash of memory flickered across her mind as she reached her hand out to stop it. He was looking at something on his phone, but as soon as the door reopened, he looked up with surprise on his face.

Hesitantly she stepped in and press the button for the ground floor. She could feel the tension between them and it was
n’
t what she wanted. She did
n’
t want him angry or hurting. She wished she could turn around and hug him, telling him she was sorry but she could
n’
t.

The elevator came to a halt with a little jerk, indicating that it needed maintenance. She was about to step out when Koltan grabbed her arm and began walking out of the building and towards the line of parked cars.

“
What are you doing
?”
She asked, trying to pull away.

She turned her head to look on his face. His jaw was clenched tightly with his lips set in a hard line.

“
Yo
u’
re coming with me
,’
he replied between his teeth.

“
Wh
y…
where
?”
She managed to ask.

“
Yo
u’
re going to give me some answers and yo
u’
re going to give them to me today
,”
he told her as she reached his car, opened the door and shoved her in.

It took her a minute to get her bearings and by the time she thought or opening the door, he was behind the wheel and driving out of the parking lot. He did
n’
t look at her and maybe that was a good thing.

“
Let me out Koltan, let me out this instant
!
”

He did
n’
t seem to hear, except she knew when he shifted into a higher gear and pressed the gas. This was unlike him so she fell silent leaned back into the seat, wondering what came over him. Was he hurting that much? Was he angry that she broke it off and needed to know why? She wished they could have been a normal couple without her fathe
r’
s memory coming between them.

It would have been nice to be in a real relationship with him. This car ride would have been romantic. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was so, that Koltan reached over and squeezed her hand. His smile would be wide and bright, a smile that always made her heart race. She was deep into her fantasy when the car slowed and she opened her eyes.

They were driving through those huge familiar iron gates that was the Grey Mansion. She sat up with a start, not quite understanding why he took her there.

“
Why are we here
?”
She asked, her voice cracking a little.

The car came to a halt in front of the large white building. Koltan came around and opened her door, reaching in and gripping her arm. It was a firm but gentle hold. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong, so she went along with him. Maybe it was best to just get this over and done with.

They went to the back garden, much like the day sh
e’
d met his father, and there he was, the old man looking quite prim in his wheel chair. When he saw her, his eyes settled on her and then looked at Koltan questioningly.

He only let his grip drop when they were both standing a few feet away from Harmon. The man did
n’
t look that sick to her, but then again, he was wealthy, he could afford any treatment his heart desired. A few seconds of silence passed and then a man in a white coat came out with a tray of medications.

“
Yo
u’
re here
?”
The man asked Koltan.

“
Yes Dr. Lambert,
I’
d like to speak with my father
,”
replied.

“
Just a minute while he gets his treatment
,”
the doctor said.

They stood and watched while Harmon downed the tablets given and the doctor administered an injection. She looked on with interest and Koltan was looking at her.

“
I
t’
s experimental, his treatment
,”
she heard him say in a low tone.

“
Oh
,”
she remarked. So the bastard is trying to save his life?

The physician left and Harmon wheeled over
,“
Is this her
?
”

“
Yes, father
,”
Koltan replied

Then something unexpected happened, a pool of tears formed in the corner of harmo
n’
s eyes, then slowly trickled down his cheeks. His eyes looked as if he was experiencing great pain. Koltan looked as surprised as she was.

Harmon reached out and took her hand, but she pulled it away
.“
What are you doing
?”
She asked.

He used his sleeves to wipe his eyes before she said, his voice shaking tremendously
,“I’
m sorry. It was
n’
t supposed to go that far
.
”

“
What are yo
u
…
”
she started to ask.

“
…
I was
n’
t thinking straight. All I wanted was to provide for my family. I was going to bring him back to the company but before I could straighten everything out he---
,”
he trailed off.

Victoria stepped back, looking from father to son. They knew? Her knees were feeling like jelly at this point and she felt herself grow cold
.“
How long have you known
?”
She asked, looking directly at Koltan.

Harmon was talking again but his voice seemed far away. She could make out Kolta
n’
s lips move, but heard nothing but a buzzing sound. It also seemed as if he was floating in front of her eyes and then everything went black.

Her eyes popped open to stare into the ocean blues of the man she most wanted to see. For a moment she forgot where she was and thought they were in her apartment. The smile that started to spread across her lips faded instantly when she remembered what happened.

“
Are you okay
?”
She was on a lounger in the garden and Harmo
n’
s gray eyes were watching her from a few feet away.

Koltan hovered over her, touching her forehead and then taking her hand. His hand was warm and so was his expression. At least that icy look in his eyes had melted somewhat and the look sh
e’
d grown accustomed to was present.

When sh
e’
d recovered enough, she sat up and faced the man she most hated. The pitiful look he gave weakened her somewhat. She looked away in order not to be affected more. She stood, not wanting to hear his sorry excuses and explanations.

“
Look, I do
n’
t care about your explanations. You ruined my father. He died with his name in ruins because of yo
u…
yo
u…
you son of a b---
,”
she shouted, not able to get the last word out because she choked.

For the first time in the many years since the death of her father she lost her cool. She was shaking like a leaf. Sh
e’
d never had so many emotions running through her at the same time; anger, pity, heartbreak, despair and hopelessness.