Billionaire's Captive Complete Trilogy - Stasia Black Page 0,11

And gods, does he have to be so large? The huge span of his chest blocks out almost my entire vision. I’ve never been so near anyone so…masculine. I ought to be terrified, and I am, don’t get me wrong. But I’m not going to cower in fear in front of him.

“The question is, Dr. Daphne Laurel, who are you? Are you as corrupt as the rest of them?”

I frown. “Corrupt? I don’t underst—”

“Stop playing innocent,” he suddenly booms, grabbing my upper arm in an unrelenting grip.

I shriek and he lets go but his eyes are thunderous as he looms over me. “You will be tested. Are you an innocent girl just trying to find the cure for the disease that took her mother’s life? Or are you a money-grubbing business executive like your father?”

“What are you talking about? My father isn’t—”

“Your father,” he practically spits, “talked a good game. But as soon as he could, he traded his ideals for a fortune. I guess making money from beauty creams is better than trying to cure the incurable?”

“It’s not incurable!” I shout, shoving at his chest. “We’re close. And who the hell are you to judge me? Belladonna had to diversify or we wouldn’t have had enough money to continue our research. The research that will save lives one day!”

He grabs both of my wrists, easily subduing me. “So passionate for your cause,” he smirks. “Or like daddy, lying is just second nature to you by this point.”

“Let go of me, you son of a bitch.” I yank to get away from him but it’s like trying to wrestle a bear. He’s too strong and his grip is like iron. But he doesn’t do anything other than hold my wrist in the shackle of his hands. He just stands there patiently until I finally stop struggling. Furious, I huff hair out of my face and glare at him.

“I know I can’t trust a word from your pretty mouth. But that’s all right. Ever since you dropped into my lap last night, I’ve been thinking. I was going to just destroy your father’s company and revel in watching it burn. But then…” He pauses and frowns. “Then there’s you.”

What does that mean? I feel my mouth drop open slightly. This entire thing is insane. This man is obviously insane.

“Who are you? What did we ever do to you?”

“All that matters is what you choose to do now. I’m going to give you a chance to save your company, little girl. It’s the only offer you’re going to get, so pay attention.”

“You don’t have any power over—”

“But I do. I own the future of Belladonna, in point of fact.”

I laugh. But then I sober. Maybe I should just play along with the delusional man. If I play along, will he actually let me go?

But he sees right through me. “You don’t believe me.” He smiles and leans in. “Go ask Daddy dearest. Ask him how he got out of debt six years ago when the company was in trouble. Then again, I doubt he’ll tell you the truth so I’ll save you the trouble. He sold all his patents. To me.”

“No,” I laugh. “He would never do that.”

But the man in front of me isn’t laughing.

I just keep shaking my head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. What patents?”

“All of them, Daphne. Every bit of research, every right to bring your findings to market—it all belongs to me.”

“You’re lying,” I whisper. Dad would never, ever, sell the patents. We’d have no company without them. Our research wouldn’t be our research anymore. “Dad would never…”

“He thought it was temporary. That he’d be able to buy them back when times were better. I leased them back to Belladonna for a time. But time’s run out.” He smirks. “Belladonna owns nothing. Your father can’t worm his way out of his mistakes this time. It’s time for his sins to finally catch up with him.”

“Why are you so hateful?” I jerk back from him and he finally lets go of my wrists. “You’re a monster!”

He tilts his head at me, the black half-mask making his face blank and creepy as hell. “Maybe. I am what they made me. The question is, what have they made you?”

“They haven’t made me anything. I’m my own woman.”

“We’ll see. We’ll see, Daphne.” The way he says my name…it’s so familiar, like he knows me, not like we’re strangers that just met in the worst of circumstances. Gods, how long