Sold To A Monster

er sold me, he wo

tail more clearly

delier illuminating the sitting room. Not even the strange men s

r my fath

e same one he wore to my mot

beautifully to

ad dressed beauti

wn, Isa

arp, leaving no

, staring at him in disbelief. "Why are t

ly. Instead, he glanced at the ma

't spoken since I

ss of untouched whiskey rested between his fingers. His dark hair was n

mo

something terrib

neath the collar of his shirt. It was the way everyone in

s and insulted business partners without bli

he?" I

cleared

is Adrian

meant not

id standing near the stair

the tray she

aking glass shat

od," she

turned his h

tely lowere

us,"

ice wa

at frighten

the door followed her out. Within second

fat

n Bla

d

across my chest.

rubbed his

is facing certain fi

red a

al diffi

h his company. Then it was an unfortunate business deal. Last week, he had ev

tranger in our ho

ng cold settle

you owe him?"

silence was

d towar

m, as if my fear were a conversation

ch?" I

d his glass

es me thirty mi

, I forgot h

million

debt. It was a

s that have t

es met

ryth

g for him to laugh, to tell m

d nei

tood up and a

Blackwood has made an offer

t of

wall

ing to liv

uck me harder

ha

estate, and he will take care of everything. My debts will be settle

as if I had neve

sending

ke this d

t the sound c

king about sending your daugh

y father snapped. "He's

t a quiet, hu

eresting way t

mmediately

a step

ryone look af

man an

membered

ly as they appeared. Businessmen who challenged Adrian Blackwood and lost everyth

m the Monster of

ssumed it was

im now, I wa

ther, tears burni

e you didn't a

dn't lo

abe

ll

ulders

no ch

g inside

ould have told me the truth. You could

oug

choed throu

! You have lived comfortably your entire life because

od fr

what my li

f over

thes on

had eaten

ry sacrifice he claimed to have made had become a

my tears

aid. "You raised something you cou

face twist

uld respond,

d, but the entire room se

enough,"

ed tow

close, I could see the faint scar near

me for seve

ooked at

as that she woul

art l

I re

gaze retu

to save your fa

to be sold l

ickered acro

ent, p

ang

mpossibl

dollars into this house because I wante

u came because you're used t

ime that night,

't a wa

me understand why people lowered th

red. "At least y

s jacket and pulled

ed toward him

prepared," he s

e document without l

sign

embled as he took th

him writ

st

ano

of his hand, I felt my l

d, Adrian colle

elle

d at his

things to

ok my

N

aised an

isunderstood the si

aid

pped c

though every instinct in

f this house on your own, or my driver can carry your luggag

refuse t

ession h

he has left. His company. His house

toward

ed at t

did he

uld rather lose everythin

d then that

etely

with my head held high, refusing

the door and le

d exactly as

graphs on my bedside table. The little silver mus

om and picked up

leave me?"

d me that no one had the

e here to tell m

ounded at

y wiped

is

ge awaits, M

n's v

ed the

h his hands in his pockets,

r prisoner,"

N

er love a man who t

narrowed

anything a

no a

side, allowi

rd the staircase

more

top

nor, you will fo

ned s

ver enter the east

in

u will neve

ost l

y father. What makes you t

red my

ttempt to leave the esta

od ran

break yo

oser, his gray e

ver why everyone c

econds, neith

lifted

not a monster,

ion remaine

who needs locked doors and fri

hat followed

he might

back and gestured

he car, I

ed pas

m the satisfaction

car waited beneath the porch lights, its windo

into the

owed and sa

oor c

cks cl

ome I had ever known, I looked through the

on the

ng me

dn't

't run

ply wa

before the tea

Adrian rema

d him

, and the terrifying calm with w

one thing I ha

that my father had hi

im that contract, I had seen som

sn't

as f

f losing h

happen once I reach

whether my father had s

because he knew the monste