“Rose.” His voice is calm, but his eyes flash.
“You have just left, and it’s understandable you are scared. Anybody would be, but you have my assurance that this year will be the best one of your life. Until now, you have been caged like an animal, and I have the keys to that cage. Allow me to show you the pleasures of life, and if you wish to return at the end of the year it will be based on an informed decision.”
“But I’m scared, Julius.”
I state the freaking obvious, and my heart leaps when he moves and takes the seat beside me, and I almost jump out of my skin when he cups my face with his hand and stares deep into my eyes. I can’t breathe as he holds my attention and whispers huskily, “It is okay to be scared. Let me do the worrying for both of us, and just so you are aware, I don’t worry because I am always three steps ahead of my enemies. It’s why I am the perfect choice to guide you through, so take those doubts and pack them away and face this adventure with bravery and an open mind.”
His thumb rubs against my skin, and I swear I almost pass out. This is so intense;heis so intense, and I’m drowning. I no longer see the gardener when I close my eyes. He is nothing compared to this man holding me so tenderly, and my entire body shivers as he strokes my face, causing a sensation inside me that I want to hold on to.
“Do you trust me, baby girl?”
His thumb drags against my lips, and I hitch my breath, the madness of life tying me up in abandonment.
“I do.” My whisper is barely audible, and he leans forward a little, his breath hot against mine, his lips millimeters away.
I am yearning for something I don’t understand, and he cocks his head to one side and says softly, “We will work well together, Rose.”
“I agree.” My smile causes his eyes to flash with passion, and I hold my breath, struggling to remember what we were talking about.
Then fear comes crashing back into reality, and I gasp, “My sisters. They are leaving the convent. What if they are in danger?”
“Shh?” He places his finger on my lips and whispers, “They are fine.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
I’m so worried, and Julius continues to stroke my cheek with his thumb and says gently, “We have protection in place, and that is all you need to know.”
Tears well in my eyes as I picture either of them getting hurt, and then it strikes me that one important piece of information has yet to be explained.
“You say I’m worth billions. I don’t understand.”
He drops his hand, and I immediately regret my question because it creates distance between us.
He leans back and runs his fingers through his dark unruly hair and sighs. “Your father left a great deal of money in his will, with conditions attached.”
“Which are?”
He turns, and a regretful smile hits me as he says huskily, “He left it all to his three daughters to be divided equally as long as the youngest is married by the age of twenty-five and pregnant. You have until then, and if that doesn’t happen, it all goes to his mistress, Morgan Sorcusi.”
“My stepmother.”
I shiver.
“So what you’re saying is–” I inhale sharply. “If Tiffany isn’t married and with child by the time she is twenty-five, we lose everything.”
“If she is the youngest, then yes.”
“And Morgan inherits billions.”
“She does.”
My hatred for that woman clouds my reasoning, and I stare hard at Julius and hiss, “Then I accept your offer, Julius. I will see this through and hope I meet a decent man and marry before the deadline because the idea of that woman having even one dollar of my father’s money is more frightening than spending the year outside my cage.”
11
JULIUS
For a moment I just stare at her, something gnawing at me from inside. The only words playing on repeat are ‘a decent man’. It hits me hard because, of course, Rose wants a decent man. She’s lived with a tyrant for most of her life, and yet that is not happening for her. If she succeeds in her inheritance, it will most definitely not be down to a decent man, and for some reason I feel bad for her. She smiles, and it takes my breath away as she tentatively leans forward and this time lays her palm flat against my face and stares into my eyes.
