Damaged (The Dark Billionaire, #6) (5 page)

“Thank you, Vicky. I don’t know what to say.”

“Welcome to the new Jennifer...”

I
t was hard but Jennifer was getting used to it. For the last three months, Bruce had avoided her. She had called him, left messages and begged him to have a conversation but Bruce had been stubborn. She couldn’t blame him but she couldn’t understand either why he absolutely refused to talk. In such a situation, Jennifer would have been dying to know everything: when, where, how and why. Apparently, he didn’t have a sick mind like her and it was probably healthier but who could keep their sanity when a third party was involved in a couple?

Jennifer needed answers. She wanted to know how Bruce felt about her. She needed to know what they were going to do: were they still together? Was he trying to forgive her? Or was he trying to punish her by ignoring her completely? Knowing Bruce, the latter was much more likely.

Jennifer had visited him only once at his mansion. She had been received by his staff and waited for an hour and a half before he showed up. Bruce had treated her like a stranger, with distance and resentment. She had felt his anger behind his cold and polite attitude. She had felt how much he was trying to contain his frustration, and decided it was better to stay away for a while. She couldn’t tolerate seeing him like this; especially when she knew it was her fault.

Enzo had completely disappeared from her life. The last time she had seen him was at the hospital, in Ashley Thompson’s arms. After that, she had never heard of him anymore, which confirmed what she had already figured: he was an asshole and had been playing with her. It was a relief to have him out of her mind and out of her life. It was one chapter that she could close.

The story of her life was unfolding before her eyes and she started to feel that a whole section was about to come to an end. At least, it had been a hell of a ride and an incredible adventure. The lessons she had learned along the way were invaluable. In the game of love, Jennifer was a loser and she wasn’t afraid to admit it. But in the game of life, she was finally getting ahead.

“Jennifer? Do you want to cut the cake with us?” Victoria said as she entered the kitchen.

Jennifer discreetly wiped her watery eyes and turned out, forcing a smile. “I’d love to.”

She washed her hands and followed Vicky in the dining room when she heard the crowd clapping their hands. In front of her, twenty people were applauding her for her performance as a chef-a-domicile. It wasn’t her first time but it was her first attempt with so many people. That night, Jennifer had even hired an assistant to help her prepare, cook and serve her dishes. After four hours of intense work, Jennifer could finally relax and enjoy the moment.

Jennifer had already worked with two dozen clients and so far, the feedback had been quite encouraging. Things were starting to accelerate thanks to the positive word-of-mouth she had received and she was thrilled. Her efforts and determination were finally paying off and it felt amazing. Starting her business from the ground up was an incredible journey and it definitely balanced her life. When she wasn’t working, Jennifer had a tendency to feel lonely and depressed. There was a void in her life and she felt empty deep inside without Bruce. She wished he could see how much progress she had made and be proud of her.

The room suddenly became dark. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you,” the guests started to sing as someone brought the cake with the lit candles. Jennifer clapped her hands and sang along to celebrate Charles’s birthday, Vicky’s father.

“Thank you so much, Jennifer,” Victoria said. “It was delicious. My father is very picky when it comes to food but he absolutely loved it.”

“I’m glad you guys enjoyed it.”

“Come on, don’t be so modest. Here’s your compensation, by the way,” Vicky said, discreetly slipping an envelope in Jennifer’s hands. It was thicker than usual due to the larger number of guests she’d had tonight.

“No thanks, Vicky. Not this time,” Jennifer said, giving the envelope back.

“What are you talking about? This is your first big night!”

“And it’s all thanks to you. I want to pay you back, even though it’s nothing compared with the opportunity you opened for me.”

“Jennifer...”

“No, I insist. Keep the money. I don’t know what I’d be doing without you since I broke up with Bruce.”

“You guys broke up?”

“I mean... I think so. It’s been three months and Bruce refuses to talk. I think we’re done...”

“Three months already? I’ve been so busy, I didn’t realize.” Vicky bit her lip and took Jenifer’s hands. “I’m so sorry. I was wrong, he didn’t come back. I feel responsible, you know? I told you to ignore him but it wasn’t such a great idea.”

“No, no, please don’t be sorry. You were right; I had to stop chasing him. Look, within three months, I’ve been able to get started and I’m doing great. I finally have my own business, thanks to you.”

“You deserve it. If you weren’t such a great cook and a great girl, it wouldn’t be possible. You deserve your success, Jennifer.”

“Thank you.”

Jennifer stayed one more hour. She had some cake, a little bit of champagne and introduced herself to as many people as possible, even though she was tired as hell. As she was shaking hands, with a young and handsome man, she thought about Bruce. She had to smile, be nice, find something interesting to say, listen to people’s small talk and she didn’t particularly enjoyed it - she was doing it because she had to. It was business. If she wanted to maintain her income and expand, she had no choice. She suddenly realized that she was networking, something that Bruce had to do all the time; and she realized that it was very time consuming. If she had to do it with a three-months-old business that was worth peanuts, she couldn’t imagine how it felt like for Bruce.

All of a sudden, her perspectives changed. She understood why he had to do what he had to do. From the outside, it looked fun and glamorous, but it was pretty exhausting. The only thing she wanted was to take a bath and do nothing; but she couldn’t.

What if I had a boyfriend right now? Would he understand why I have to stay late? Would he look for trouble because I spend time with rich and handsome men? That’s what I’ve been doing with Bruce... I complained.

Jennifer finally said goodbye to everyone and loaded her minivan with all her equipment with the help of her assistant.

“Do you want me help you carry everything to your apartment?” the young man said.

“No thank you, Patrick. Just go home. You’ve done an amazing job tonight.”

“Are you sure? It’s heavy and it’s late.”

“I’m sure, don’t worry about me. I’ll send you a check next week okay? Thanks for the help.”

It was 2:11 a.m. and the streets were empty; at least she didn’t have to be stuck in traffic.

She parked in front of her building, took her keys and opened the door. It was very quiet outside and it felt great to be home. She couldn’t wait to be in bed. She started to unload the minivan when she heard a voice behind her. It was a man and she instantly recognized him.

“Hello, Jennifer...” the man said.

Jennifer quickly turned around and before she could say anything or run away, Kenichi quickly stuck some duck-tape on her mouth, grabbed her throat and pushed her inside her car. She heard him close the door behind him and they were now in semi-darkness. He was strong and pinned her down, his fingers wrapped around her neck. Jennifer couldn’t breathe and planted her nails in his arms to make him release her. Kenichi didn’t let go and forced her to stay down by sitting on her. Jennifer couldn’t scream; she couldn’t ask for help. Suddenly, she thought about Patrick and wished she had accepted his help. Now, she was alone with Bruce’s enemy - and Bruce wasn’t even part of her life anymore!

“Happy to see me?” Kenichi said with a grin. “It’s been a long time...”

Jennifer jerked and tried to hit him but he saw the blow coming and simply caught her wrist before she could touch him. He laughed.

“You’re such a fighter, Jennifer. I like that about you. It must be something when you and Bruce have
sex
...”

The way he emphasized the last word - sex - gave Jennifer chills down her spine. He looked at her with lust in his eyes and she instinctively knew what was going to happen.

No! Please, no!

“How’s Bruce, by the way? Can’t he buy you a better car than this shitty van of yours? Or did he lose too much money thanks to me?”

Jennifer moaned and groaned, telling him to go to hell.

“What? I can’t hear you, Jennifer. Aw, I see. He doesn’t love you anymore, right? He let you down...”

Kenichi knew, of course. He knew about her relationship with Bruce. He had done his research and knew that Jennifer would be alone.

“Well, since you’re now single... Why don’t we have fun together? Just you and me... What do you think?” He said, whispering in her ear.

Help! Help, please!

Kenichi started to grind against Jennifer and she felt his erection growing. Jennifer tried to fight; she tried to move away but he was too strong. She couldn’t move. Slowly, he started to unbutton his pants and Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut - she couldn’t watch him do that to her, but he slapped her.

“Open your eyes!” He said. “Look at me. I want you to see me!”

Scared, Jennifer obeyed and reluctantly opened her eyes. His face was a few inches away from her and he was panting.

Suddenly, Jennifer heard an explosion. It wasn’t a bomb, though. It was broken glass. She saw the light of a street lamp - someone had opened the door. All of a sudden, she felt the pressure being lifted off her body. Kenichi wasn’t on her anymore and seemed to float in the air. Jennifer frowned; yes, he was definitely levitating and moving backward now, out of the minivan.

What the hell is going on?

Then, she saw two men holding Kenichi and throwing him on the ground. She had been saved! The two men started to kick and punch Kenichi, and Jennifer quickly stood up, removing the duck-tape from her mouth. A third man approached and told them to stop. He was older, probably fifty something, and intimidating. He had a dominating look in his eyes.

“Thank you,” Jennifer said. “Thank you so much.”

She had no idea who they were and how they had found her but she was too happy to be safe to ask any questions. “I’ll call the police,” she said.

“No,” the older man said with a low voice. “You come with us.”

Jesus, who are these guys? I thought they were here to save me!

“What? Who are you?” She said, shaking.

“Listen. You have two options. One, we leave you alone with this man and he can resume what he was trying to do with you. Or two, you shut up and you come with me without asking questions.”

“Are you crazy? What do you want?”

“Okay, option number one then. Guys, let’s go...”

“No, wait! Okay, I’ll come with you. Please, don’t hurt me.”

“If we wanted to hurt you, it would be done already. You come with me or not?”

“Yes.”

The other two men lifted Kenichi off the ground, walked to a black SUV and threw him in the trunk. The older man invited Jennifer to sit in the back, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. What were they going to do with her?

“One more thing,” he said.”

“Yes?”

“We need to blindfold you...”

J
ennifer felt the car easing to a stop and the sound of the engine shaking until it stopped. The door next to her opened and she felt the blindfold being removed from around her head. The older man helped her to get out of the SUV and she took a look around. With all the movies she had watched, she had expected to arrive in an abandoned warehouse or in the middle of an empty field. Instead, she was in the driveway of a luxurious mansion - the kind of places Bruce lived in. There were several cars parked outside, all sports cars and luxury sedans. Wherever she was, there was no doubt in her mind that the owner was someone with money, and potentially power. She had been saved and escorted by three men and there were many others around the house. It was an impressive security staff and Jennifer wondered how and why she was involved with them.

“This way,” the older man said. “And one question at a time.”

“Where am I?” Jennifer asked as she followed him inside.

“You’re safe.”

“What are you going to do with me? Why did you bring me here? Who are you?”

“That’s more than one question at a time.”

“Fine. Who are you?”

“I’m Danny.”

“Well, nice to meet you Danny, but this isn’t what I meant. Why did you save me? How did you know?”

Danny looked at her. She had asked two questions and she knew what he was going to say.

“Okay. How did you know?”

“We’ve been watching you for a while now.”

“Are you serious? Why?”

“That’s two questions.”

“Come on, the first one wasn’t a question, it was an expression of surprise.”

“Sit down,” Danny said as they entered a kitchen.

She stood still and looked at him, trying to figure if they were going to hurt her.

“Sit down,” he repeated, louder this time.

Jennifer quickly sat down and Danny left the room. It was a modern and spacious kitchen, exactly the type she liked. That was the kind of kitchen she dreamed of having at home.

Suddenly a door opened behind her and a woman came in. She was in her late fifties or early sixties, very elegant with a proud and dignified attitude, standing straight and walking with confidence. She was a woman of power, the same kind as Victoria, but older. She glanced at Jennifer in silence, opened the fridge and took a bottle of white wine.

“Need a drink?” She finally said to Jennifer.

“No, thank you.”

The woman took two glasses anyway and slid one across the table. “Drink,” she said with a voice that indicated she didn’t expect to encounter resistance.

Jennifer took a sip and looked down at her glass. She had a million questions running through her head but didn’t know where to start. Who were these people? Why did they save her? How did they know? Why were they watching her? What did they want?