Seducing the Dark Prince by Jane Kindred

Author:Jane Kindred
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Lucien was dumbstruck. There was no way he was going to give Theia up. He needed her. More than he wanted to. But it was equally clear that Edgar wouldn’t be swayed by any argument Lucien could make. When Edgar made up his mind about something, it was made up for everyone around him.

“Do I have your word, Lucien?”

“I... Can I think about this?”

“There is nothing to think about. If you refuse this one condition of mine, the company and all its holdings will go to Lucy. Your trust fund will be cut off. You will never see a penny of it. And Lucy will be under a legally binding oath not to turn around and give you a pity allowance after my death.”

A moment ago, Lucien hadn’t given a damn about the company other than the thorn it had always been in his side. Then he’d had an instant to reimagine it as his own before Edgar had taken it away again. But he’d never imagined being cut off completely. He wouldn’t even begin to know how to survive by himself. For all his talk of wanting Lucien to become a man, Edgar had made him dependent on the company and his money, making sure he knew nothing about the details of living an independent life. Lucien felt like a fool.

“Edgar, I think if you met Theia—”

“I said this is nonnegotiable, Lucien. But if money alone doesn’t sway you, perhaps you need a little bit of incentive to come to your senses and make a rational decision. I’ve sent you something via email. Look it over and get back to me tomorrow. I’ll set up the meeting and send you the invite. If you don’t show up on time, I’ll assume you’ve made your decision, and I’ll send someone to collect my property and revoke your access to Smok Biotech and any of our holdings. Good night, Lucien.”

Edgar’s parting shot had been straight to the heart. Lucien couldn’t lose access to Smok Biotech’s labs. He needed the research data on the anti-lycanthropy project. He needed the cure. Maybe if he went to the lab right now and downloaded everything he could onto an external drive... But Edgar would have thought of that. Lucien wouldn’t be surprised if his access was temporarily suspended.

He pulled back his fist reflexively, preparing to punch the screen of the new laptop, but managed to draw his arm up short. This might be the only thing he had to his name by tomorrow. He couldn’t afford to have a temper tantrum.

His phone buzzed, and Lucien picked it up, forgotten on the pillow after finding Edgar’s face staring at him. Theia wanted to know where he was.

Theia.

He could have everything he’d ever wanted—financial security, respect, power and the real possibility of effecting change in the world. Or he could have Theia—and lose everything he’d ever known. It shouldn’t even be a contest. He should have been able to give Edgar his answer without hesitation: Theia was enough, she was everything, and Edgar could go fuck himself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.