Billionaire's Revenge (5 page)

“He refused to give us time
?
”
Her
mother
whispered
forlornly
as she
sank
down into one of her pristine chairs, her home a model of elegance and class, clean to the point of sterility. “Oh my God, I am ruined, we will be outcasts
”
Angela
thr
ew
herself dramatically into another chair
.

“You’re ruined!!!...I am going to end up in prison”
,
her spiteful look falling to Sara as she
snarled at her sister
. 
“You didn’t try hard enough.  You should have promised him anything...whatever it took...whatever!”
,
her meaning clear as Sara’s eyes
opened
wide
in shock
, a
coldness
filling
her lovely face.

“The CEO of Garelli Corporation is Darius Garelli...or you might
remember
him better as Darius Larosa”
 
Her words
had
the effect of
silencing
both women
, their
heads moved around to stare at her, two shocked pairs of eyes fixed on her.
 
“Darius Larosa...the thief!
”
Her
mother
spat out in disdain
.
“That...that person is going to be responsible for our d
ownfall?
”
Sara’s eyes narrowed
seeing the way that Angela
looked back at her uncomfortably, before
she
cleared
her throat
.

“Actually...he didn’t steal the money”
,
she
managed
,
as
her eyes
flicked
nervously between Sara and her mother.
 
Sara felt the cold anger deep within her
.
 
“How can you be so sure
?
”
,
she
asked
softly, Angela already pulling a hurt expression on
to her lovely face
 
“Nick took the money”
B
oth women
star
ed
at her in disbelief
 
“You knew that and you let him, an innocent man, be fired and nearly thrown into prison!”
,
Sara’s
incredulous accusation
made her sister scowl
.

“Of course not.
  I only found out a few years after we were married.  We were having a few problems and I told him that I didn’t think he loved me”
,
her eyes looking at each women in turn
,
“He told me that he loved me so much that he
had
been the one to frame Darius because he thought he was going to lose me to him”
,
a
sad look coming to her eyes
. 
“I really thought that he
had
done it because he
loved me”
,
she
sniffled
pathetically as Sara
groaned wit
h frustration
.

“You think that was romantic?  Dear God Angela.  Well guess what.  It is payback time and Darius is wanting his pound of flesh”
 
The two
frowned
,
not understanding
what she was talking about
,
both
waiting for her
to elaborate, as she paced across the tiled floor
.
 
“He s
ays that he will give us the time we need, if and only if I become his mistress
”
The
effect on each was different, her mother sitting forward, a glint coming to her eyes
.

“So he is going to give us more time
?
”
,
had
been her resp
onse, Sara feeling sick to
her stomach that her own mother seemed not to care that she was being pimped out as payback.  Angela however, was watching her with barely concealed vehemence
.
 
“You mean that he wants YOU to be his mistress!
”
the envy in her voice filling Sara with
anger
.

“Has he changed much?
”
Her
mouth
sneered
,
“probably got fat and bald”
 
Sara
sh
ook
her head with annoyance.
 
“No...
He
hasn’t changed”
,
seeing instantly the look of lust and jealousy which
crept into her sister
’
s eyes, reminded once more of the way she
had
pursued
him six years previously.

“If he needs a mistress as sacrifice
why did he choose you?”
,
she
demanded spitefully
, Sara
gritting her teeth having to remind herself that she was doing this for David’s sake, the small child already having lost one parent, no matter how bad that parent was.
 
With ice in her voice
,
she
sh
ook
her head
, “
B
elieve me
Angela, I would gladly step aside for you”
,
h
er
voice dripping with sarcasm
.
Angela
glared back
,
“I didn’t mean I wanted to...
just why you?”

“
He made it very clear that his problem was with me personally, because I was the one who fired him.  He is not looking for a willing volunteer”
,
she
threw
back at her sister
before giving a small groan full of pain
.
 
“What the hell am I to do?
  I can
’t be his mistress...I won’
t be his mistress”
,
she
bit
out with determination
. 
“The private detective will find
Nick
...this will all resolve itself
”
Before
her, her mo
ther
rose
slowly to her feet, her look hard
ening
.

“You listen to me Sara Balfour.  You will do whatever you have to do even if that means becoming the
plaything of this person”
,
the word
s
spat out in disdain
,
her eyes flashing with spite
before a greedy light filled them
once more
. 
“He is rich. 
Very rich.
 
The
Garelli
Corporation is a multinational and if you play your cards right you could even turn this around.  Make him be the one to pay for the rest of his life”

Sara stared at her mother with confusion
. 
“What are you talking about?”
 
Her mother
gave
a smile, one that Sara
had
dreaded as a child, her mother
’
s manipulative
tendencies
and spiteful nature often seeing her strike out at those she thought
-
right
ly or
wrongly
-
had
done her some wrong or slight.
 
“If you were to fall pregnant with his child...”

Sara’s stunned gasp silenced her, her daughter looking at her aghast
. 
“Never”
,
backing from the room, staring at both with eyes wide with shock
,
“I am going to bed”
,
before
she
turn
ed
and
fl
ew
up the stairs to her room.

That night she had
not slept, r
ising early in the morning and moving downstairs to make herself a cup of tea.  Sitting by the window, her mind in turmoil
,
she
almost convinced herself that she would not meet
Darius
-
that
she would leave the two women to stew in the trouble they had
brought upon themselves
, almost convincing herself that she could ride out the publicity
as a small hand
tugged at her arm.

“Aunty Sara
”
The
sweet child’s voice made her drop her head
to smile warmly down on her little nephew
, pulling him in for a cuddle as she looked closely at his worried little face.
 
“What is wrong
sweetie
?
”
she asked softly as he clambered up onto her knee, Sara smiling at how loving the
four
year old boy was.

“I’m scared...my mummy says she might be going away...like daddy”
,
his small face stared
back with such intensity, Sara’s resolve leaving her as she
hugged the child.  As much as she wanted to turn her back on her selfish mother and sister she knew that she could never turn her back on the little boy on her lap, holding him
tightly as she sighed with
the inevitability of her decision
.  She knew that
at twelve tha
t
day she would be once more at the
suite
of Darius Garelli.
 
“No. 
No David...I promise that your mother is going to be staying with you”
,
feeling David
’
s mouth curl in a smile against her
.

Sitting in his study, Darius worked at his computer, his eyes flicking constantly to the clock on his wall.  As the hour drew
closer to twelve, he felt
his body tensing.  He
was
sure that she would show, that she would agree to his terms, not
certain
why he cared which form his revenge took. 
Sighing
, he frowned
,
pushing himself back into the softness of the chair
,
his mind once more returning to the kiss
; his hand mov
ed
across his mouth groaning feeling his
body’s
awareness of the woman, chastising himself.  She was a cold-hearted using bitch, but still the kiss had
been
mind-
blowing
.
Darius knew that he wanted to experience everything about Sara Balfour.

As the clock read twelve the intercom
beeped, a satisfied sm
ile filling his handsome features.
 
“Sir
,
Miss Balfour is here to see you
”
Pressing
down the button
,
he
bit
out the command to tell her to wait, wanting t
o make her sweat as she
had
him
,
a smugness filling him.
 
For
fifteen minutes
she waited
in the living room of the suite, alone save for his kindly and efficient secretary who
typed
at
a computer at one end of the room
.  As time
slipped away
the
secretary
with
an apologetic smile offered her a drink,
Sara politely
refus
ing
.
  As the minutes
ticked by
,
she
felt the anger growing within her, knowing that he was playing more mind games with her
,
determined to remain calm as the woman
once more flashed
her an
apologetic smile
,
promising that she was sure he would be fr
ee soon.