Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,42

opened. I didn’t need a light to show me the contents. I knew their exact position inside, the envelope positioned on top. As I retreated back to my chair, my heart skipping more than a single beat, I hated the fact I’d kept this from her. Maybe I wasn’t the heartless son of a bitch I’d become determined to be.

After sitting down, I leaned forward, my fingers fumbling to find the switch on the single lamp. The glow was just enough to make me wince, the headache increasing. I stared at the cursive writing in the middle of the envelope, the letters indicating Luis’ hand had been shaking when he’d penned her name.

I could only imagine what had gone through his mind. I rubbed my finger across Alessandra’s name, taking several deep breaths. Then I ripped the folded letter from its contents, growling the entire time. Why in the hell had the man sent this to my address? He had to know I’d read it. He must have realized how much the words would infuriate me.

Another laugh rushed up from my gut. Of course he had. He knew exactly how the words would make me feel, the ugliness they’d create inside my already warped mind. Whatever his real intentions had been, he’d accomplished far more than the nasty words spewed from my father.

But the words were there in black ink, the almost ancient calligraphy-style writing something rarely seen. I’d spent more time reading the letter than the last contract I’d signed, not including the one with Alessandra. I’d read it again, searching for hidden meaning or attempting to strip a portion of the guilt away. Who the hell knew? I shouldn’t give a damn. She was mine. There was nothing and no one who could take her away, including the feisty woman herself.

I smoothed out the two pages, bringing the lamp closer.

And I read once again, the bitterness of the words somehow remaining on my tongue.

“Alessandra,

My dear, beautiful daughter. These words will be difficult for you to read but they are necessary. My life ended up being about lies, the decision I made branded into my very soul, one I’d sold to the devil. I wanted nothing but the best for you, a promise I made to your beautiful mother all those years ago. Sadly, I failed in my duties, allowing my lies to interfere with your happiness, and your life.

By the time you read this, you will know I’m already gone, but don’t be sad for me. I made my peace with death. Now I must secure your place in the world. I only wish it could be full of freedom and happiness, but there is no such thing as true safety. That is only a myth created by those who have never been forced to choose.

What I am asking of you is difficult but necessary. You will abide by my decision. While you may not like my choice, Gabriel Masters is a good man, one who can provide and care for you. You will know what needs to be done. You will be his only hope of salvation. I have utter faith in you.”

A good man. The asshole obviously had been fooled by the hospitality offered at our meetings. I was amused as I’d been before, even though a nagging continued to drive into my mind. What the hell was he getting at by using the word salvation? I pushed the page away, unable to read another fucking word. The man had sold his own daughter and in my mind, it had been a plan in the making for years.

Whatever the reason, the past was just that. There was no purpose in forcing her to face the painful truth. What good would it do other than placing another wedge between us? She would soon be my wife. She would bear my children. She would also be a part of the Masters legacy. The business would continue to thrive both here and in my homeland. Life would be the way it was supposed to be.

Once again, I lifted my glass in a silent toast. The swig was exactly what I needed, a perfect ending to a shitstorm of a day. When I balled the letter, tossing it into the trash, a wash of peace finally swept over me. As of tonight, a new chapter had begun.

The ghosts in both our pasts had been exorcised.

Or so I hoped.

I pushed the glass away, more satisfied than ever before and leaned my