Read The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride Online
Authors: Elizabeth Lennox
The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride (2 page)
As the drizzle increased to rain,
Jason looked down at the shy woman who was shivering from the cold and
remembered how he’d felt the first time he’d seen Emma Mason
. Twelve years ago, he’d seen the small, red haired
teenager
in a dress three sized too big for her
as she scurried
down the hallway. She hadn’t seen him outside her father’s office but he’d seen her. And he
’d
watched in horror as her huge green eyes monitored her father’s door. She was almost out of sight when Edward Mason’s door opened but Jason hadn’t been watching the
office
door. He’d been watching Emma Mason and had to swallow the lump in his throat when the small, terrified girl dashed into a closet, closing the door only seconds before her father appeared in the same hallway.
The idea that a man’s daughter would be so terrified of him that she would hide
! And
in a closet dammit! It
had
sickened Jason that day. If it hadn’t been for that scene, Jason never would have started looking into Edward’s business practices more closely and he wouldn’t be where he was today.
He remembered the way Edward had looked at him that afternoon. Jason hadn’t had time to look away from the closet fast enough and Edward’s eyes had gone from Jason’s, to the
then
-closed door. Nothing had happened, but Jason saw the narrowing of the older man’s eyes, as if he knew that Jason had seen something he shouldn’t have.
Emma pasted a false smile on her face, wondering if it were possible for cheeks to freeze from the cold.
“Well, it is good to see you again. Thank you for stopping by,” she said and walked to her waiting car.
Jason watched the tiny woman disappear into the back seat of the black sedan. As she stepped in, her
long
dress pulled up
slightly
and he was given a glimpse of
one shapely leg, the calf encased in black stockings
,
was slender with a dainty ankle and small feet
. Jason’s eyes narrowed, curiosity firing in him. What was going on?
Why would a woman with legs that lovely hide them under long, woolen skirts like that?
Why was she wearing those awful looking clothes
?
He wasn’t sure, but years of experience with the opposite sex told him that she probably had an incredible figure hiding underneath that dress.
And why the hell didn’t she wear some makeup? Let her hair down?
Of course, with skin like that, she didn’t really need makeup. A redhead should have freckles, but Emma Mason’s cheeks were pure, soft and blemish-free, making her long, dark lashes seem almost black as they surrounded those fascinating green eyes.
Jaso
n pushed thoughts of the mysterious woman
out of his mind.
This whole issue was none of his concern. He was furious with the curiosity which had driven him here today after the phone call. Edward Mason’s will was none of his concern
, and
the man’s
daughter was better off without the
father
in her life to mess things up
.
He walked over to his own waiting car and ducked into the back. Immediately picking up his phone, he pressed the speed dial, instantly connecting with his secretary.
“Betty, what’s the story on the figures for the DiMarco
acquisition
?” He listened for a long momen
t, then nodded. “Fine, have the papers
on my desk
by the time I get back
. I should be back at the office in less than thirty minutes.”
“The flowers were delivered this morning,” Betty said.
“Flowers?” Jason snapped, his mind already moving on to the details of the next business meeting. He flipped open the file folder Betty had given him that morning that outlined the details.
“The flowers you asked to be delivered to Ms. Stephanie Michaels this morning,” Betty reminded him.
“Ah,” Jason said, ignoring the issue
of his now-past mistress
and moving on
to more current issues
. He’d asked Betty to send some flowers but had immediately dismissed it from his mind moments after he’d given the command. “Fine, thank you. What about Tom Daniels? Has he called back?”
“Of course. He’s confirmed that the package was delivered and all the terms were accepted.”
“Good.” Jason eased back in his seat, a feeling of success washing over him as yet another company joined the
Montenegro
conglomerate. But that moment passed and
he
went through the details of five other deals that were currently in the works. Montenegro Industries bought companies and incorporated them under the larger umbrella, cutting the fat, trimming down the superfluous employees and making all of the systems more efficient and profitable. Each
additional
company
was bought in order to
somehow benefit the others, making the Montenegro machine more and more powerful.
“How was the funeral?” Betty asked when Jason stopped
giving her directions
fifteen minutes later.
“The funeral?” Jason asked absently.
He heard a small sigh, before, “The funeral of Edward Mason?” she reminded him. “You mentioned you were going to stop by earlier today.”
“Oh. Yes, fine,” he replied. The memory of a slender, sexy leg and shy green eyes popped into his head. But he pushed it aside and rattled off a new list of things
for
Betty
to finalize
.
He hung up and sat back, reading through the file, his sharp mind memorizing every detail as soon as he read it. By the time Tim, his driver, pulled up in the underground garage of Montenegro Industries headquarters, Jason had already moved on to the meeting.
2
Coming home after the funeral,
Emma walked into her father’s study, looking around in curiosity. She had never been permitted in this office while her father had been alive. She’d only had glimpses when the door cracked open. But if she’d been near, Emma had been too terrified of her father finding her to stop and peer inside.
Her life’s
goal had been to become invisible. Whenever he caught sight of her, a lecture or some sort of perceived misdeed was brought down upon her. And punishments always followed.
Edward Mason never hit his daughter. No, that could be too easily discovered by the bruises or the marks. He’d always been more evil than that. There were times Emma had wished he’d hit her. For then, perhaps the punishment would be over or maybe she would black out.
But God was never that compassionate. Emma had endured seemingly endless hours of lectures about how she had been born from a slut but he would not allow her to become one herself. He would order her to accompany h
im on a function but if she dared to look
at a man, even if he spoke directly at her, Emma would be banished to her room, sometimes without food for days. Later, when he arranged dates for her, he would accompany
her on the activity
himself and would always find fault with her
demeanor or conduct
.
During her teen years, o
ne of the punishments she’d “endured” had been banishment to
an all girls’
boarding school. She had thrived during those four years of high school
, making friends for the first time, learning new things, being out in the open more often when she’d dared to join a sports team
. She had spent almost every second of her spare time studying, fearful that even one low grade would have her brought back to her f
ather’s merciless supervision but she’d absolutely loved the four years during which she’d been sent away from her father’s heavy presence.
University was almost as good but she was required to attend closer to home. According to her father, she was becoming too independent and needed a man to guide her as she moved
in
to adulthood. And since he was the only trustworthy man
capable of defending her virtue
, she lived at home and was
chauffeured
to all her classes.
The solicitor cleared his throat and Emma snapped out of her memories. She smiled an apology, then quickly glanced down, afraid the solicitor woul
d think she was coming on to him
as well. The thought occurred to her that her father was no longer around to punish her, but years of training couldn’t be pushed away only three days after his death.
The
solicitor
, Mr. Bernstein, was obviously uncomfortable. “I apologize for the odd requirements of your father’s will, Ms. Mason,” he was saying.
Emma’s eyes snapped up quickly. It was the first sense that she had that something was wrong. Something terribly, terribly wrong. The small ray of hope that had been building for the past hour was flickering.
“Please, let’s just move along,” Emma said softly. She dropped her eyes, afraid the anger and despair she was feeling would show in her eyes. Emma didn’t know what her father could do to her from the grave, but she braced herself for the pain he was about to inflict.
“Ahem,” Mr. Bernstein said again, “According to your father’s last will and testament, all of his money will be held in trust for his grandson.” Mr. Bernstein straightened his glasses, the movement indicating his discomfiture with the terms. “Ms. Emma Mason will have access to the funds
for six month, allowing her time to plan her wedding. After that point, she will have access
only after she has become pregnant with a son, a sonogram being needed to verify the gender of the child. This son must come from the union of Mr. Jason Montenegro and Ms. Emma Mason and a
DNA
test will need to be confirmed once the child is born.”
Emma’s body froze in fear and dread. The horror was too much and she bowed her head in shame for her father’s terms. Without hesitation, she shook her head. “I’ll forego the money. You can give it to charity or whatever he stipulates if I don’t comply with the terms.”
Mr. Bernstein’s face turned red and Emma knew that the nightmare was only beginning. “He left a letter for you in case you insist on ignoring his dying orders.” An envelope was pulled out
from under some papers
and handed to Emma.
She took the
white envelope wish shaking fingers, determined to
not fall victim to her father any longer. Unfortunately, her father was more diabolical than she could ever have imagined.
With a stiff chin, Emma read the words, her heart breaking as once again her father won the battle. The words were horrible and just as vicious as
she remembered him being.
Emma – if you are reading this then that means you have scorned my wealth once again. You are an ungrateful, evil child who will definitely rot in hell
for all the anguish you have caused me over the years with your promiscuous ways
.
Knowing that there is more than one currency for everyone, I have endeavored to find a way that will ensure your compliance with my will. In anticipation of your behavior, I have set aside certain clues that will allow you to find your slut of a mother. Each clue will be given to you once you reach certain milestones. Marrying Mr. Jason Montenegro will give you the key to a storeroom where all of your mother’s belongings were taken after her departure. Conception of a child will allow you to have her diary. It is from this that I have been able to identify her current location. At that point, you should come to your senses and realize that my money will ensure the security of your child. But if it does not, and you have not located your mother by that point, there is one final clue which will be given to you once you deliver my grandson.
Just so you know, your mother has been fighting for custody of you ever since her ill-thought out departure. I have been ultimately successful in keeping her filthy, cheating hands off of you
