Two weeks later, she felt relatively safe enough to lower her guard again, although it wasn’t without effort. Work had returned to normal, and she was back in her bosses’ good graces having just closed on a mansion in the Heights. She went home feeling happier than she had in a while, and in her good mood, Eden gave into impulse and agreed to go out with Wes. It was while deliberating on what to wear that she began to regret saying yes.
“I’m going to call him and—”
“You’re not going to cancel on that delicious piece of man!”
“But—”
“No buts, missy. You need a night out. You’ve been cooped up in this place for the last three months and as much as I love Liam, you need another man in your life.” No she didn’t. Men were the root of all evil. Okay maybe that was exaggerating a little, but they didn’t do anyone any good. Well, except for that appendage between their legs, but at this point, sustaining for as long as she had, Eden was contemplating long and hard about visiting that little erotic boutique downtown and picking herself up a nice little battery operated friend.
It took Eden changing four times—all the other outfits had apparently been too “nun-like” to be seen by decent company—before Jenna deemed her sexy enough to be let out of the house. They settled on an ivory dress that stopped about mid-thigh, with a lace embroidered back and a sweetheart neckline that hugged every possible curve on her lithe body, accentuating her tits and ass to perfection. She didn’t do much with her hair, and only a sweep of eyeliner, mascara, and her favorite chap stick for makeup.
“You’re going to tell me every single detail when you get back so I can live vicariously through you,” Jenna said urgently. When they heard the knock at the door, they both hurried to the living room. Eden kissed Liam goodnight and told Jenna that she would try to absorb every single detail to recount later.
Wes Courtland was the sort of guy that cheerleaders dated in high school. Blond hair, blue eyes, tall, with an athletic build and a dimpled smile that Eden knew had the power to drop panties. He had such an easy going demeanor about him that it was impossible not to like the guy.
“You look stunning, Eden.”
“Thank you. I can clean up pretty nicely when given the opportunity,” she quipped, giving him a grateful smile when he held the car door open for her and closing it when she was completely settled. He had a nice set of wheels; the fully loaded black Mustang was incredibly sexy.
“I’m very happy you finally decided to go out with me,” he said, shifting the car in gear and driving away from their complex.
They arrived at the restaurant soon enough and were led by the hostess through the intimate setting to a table in the back. He walked to her side and pulled her chair out for her, waiting until she was seated before returning to his own seat. Eden was nervous, and it didn’t help that he kept looking at her like she was dessert. She didn’t really know what to say, this being her very first real date since marrying Dominic. There certainly had been little room for wooing in that union. He’d shown Eden money, and she’d readily jumped on the opportunity never once contemplating the consequences.
“Uh oh, this date isn’t starting off well if you’re looking ready to leave already.”
Eden had the good graces to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Wes, it’s not you. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Want to share? I’ve been told I’m a very good listener.”
Eden smiled. “From your trove of women?”
He chuckled, and her smile widened at the sight of his reddening ears. “What can I say, I love women.”
“And they certainly love you.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Eden laughed. “Immensely.”
The rest of dinner continued on that amiable note, and the occasional moments of silences, which were thankfully few and far in between, were easily filled by conversation that did not pertain to any personal matters on either side. Wes did not want to part so soon, so Eden agreed to continue their evening at a bar a few blocks away from where they’d eaten. Far too absorbed in her companion, Eden failed to notice the man covertly trailing behind them as she and Wes entered the bar.
Just as he’d done throughout the night, he remained inconspicuous, but close enough that he could see his intended target. James was given very specific instructions, and he carried them out with the expertise attributed to his name. He remained ever vigilant, cataloging every minute detail for his report.
The man she was with touched her like he owned her and hung onto her with appalling familiarity. James took out his camera to take pictures. They stayed for a time, lost in the cigarette smoke that hung over the crowd like a cloud. They sat close, side by side, his arm slung over the threadbare couch they’d claimed as their own. He drew her to his side, and she remained there for the duration, lulled by the gentle strains of jazz filtering through the speakers. To anyone else, they appeared the perfect couple out on a date. To James it was proof of his employer’s wife’s infidelity. Heads were surely going to roll and James was happy to know he wouldn’t be on the end of that falling axe.
* * *
Eden’s mind was reeling. She sat immobile inside her desert hot car in a complete state of shock, wondering when she would wake up from this nightmare. She tried swallowing around the lump in her throat but found bile crawling its way up, threatening to make her sick. She drew in deep steadying breaths in an attempt to calm herself, and even though the tears pricking her eyes were just shy of falling, she refused to give into them. At least not yet. With tremulous fingers she started the car, shifted into gear, and wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel. She needed to get home. Home to Liam. Home to stability because she feared the world was crumbling beneath her feet. In a daze, her mind revisited the scene from earlier, still unable to grasp that she’d been released from her contract at the brokerage.
Eden parked her car in her designated parking space. She caught a quick glance at the clock on the dashboard and cursed softly. Annie had asked her to come in early today because they needed to discuss a few things, and after the incident of a few weeks ago, the last thing Eden wanted was to further infuriate her boss. She grabbed her coffee cup and her overlarge purse before jumping out of the car and hastening to the office. There wasn’t anyone at the front desk. Courtney, their receptionist, was scheduled to come in at ten, and the five other agents working here followed their own personal schedules, so the office was relatively empty when Eden walked in. Her heels clicked and clacked against the linoleum floor stifled only when she reached the carpeted floor next to her desk.
She set her purse down and although she wanted to check her messages, she knew now wasn’t the time. Eden found Annie in her office but was taken aback when she saw Sarah Ronald seated across from her. Although partners, Annie was the face of the brokerage, she was the one who spoke to the clients and designated the listings to the agents. It was quite rare for Sarah to be in the office. She was the silent partner who dealt more with the financing part of the business. Eden instantly knew something was up. Apprehension made her palms sweat and her heart race as she desperately tried to think whether she did anything wrong. She’d been on her best behavior since she’d failed to close on the multi-million dollar property a few weeks back. And regardless of being reassured that she’d done nothing wrong and that her job wasn’t in jeopardy, Eden had worked doubly hard to prove herself again, doing all she could to sell as many properties as she could. In the following weeks, things had looked, for all intents and purposes, as if they’d been back to normal. She’d foolishly allowed herself to think she was in the clear.
“Have a seat, Eden” Sarah’s tone was curt, being the more serious of the two, she indicated with a cock of her head to the adjacent chair beside her own.
Eden did as bidden and settled into the chair, licking her suddenly dry lips as she silently waited. The silence was deafening. “Is...is there something wrong?” she decided to break it, unable to withstand it any longer.
Annie rustled with some documents on her desk before clearing her throat and looking at Eden with clear blue eyes. “Sarah and I went out on a limb for you and gave you a chance at our company believing that you could contribute something great here. And you have. You’ve been great up to this point.”
“What point? What did I do?”
“It’s come to our attention that you’ve been going behind our backs and making deals with clients without our knowledge and keeping a percentage of the commission for yourself.”
Eden chortled. “You can’t be serious,” she asked incredulously, but looking at the dire expression on their faces, Eden was mortified to see that they were absolutely serious. “Come on, you guys can’t actually believe I would do something so stupid.” She shook her head, her eyes bouncing from one woman to the other. “I would never do something like that.”
“We have proof.” Annie sighed, extending a folder to Eden. “It’s all there. And the worst part is you’ve been badmouthing our agency to our clients.”
“That’s not true! I...I wouldn’t do that!” She hastily leafed through the folder, all the while trying to defend herself to the women who’d already passed judgment. Eden couldn’t believe what she was seeing, if she were in their shoes, there would be no contesting this. Her signature was on more than a dozen contracts she didn’t remember signing or making the deals in the first place. “This is…this isn’t me…please—”
“We’ve done all we could for you, Eden, but unfortunately your time here is over.”
“Please…please don’t. Annie, you know I would never do this. I love working here. I love this job, why would I jeopardize that?
“Money is always a great incentive,” Sarah retorted, and Eden felt like she’d been smacked. She wasn’t cold, but tremors shook her body as she unsteadily got to her feet.
“Thank…thank you for the opportunity. I’m…” Innocent didn’t get a chance to get through the tears choking her. Before they could fall, she whirled around and ran out of the office, remembering to grab her bag.
* * *
Still largely mortified and completely devastated that she’d just lost her job, Eden remained in her car even though she’d pulled up to her home nearly an hour ago. She’d honestly loved working at Banks and Ronald. It’d given her purpose, drove her to be better than she was. It’d challenged her, made her feel like she was part of something bigger than herself, and she’d been damn good at it. But now it was all gone. Ripped right out from under her. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t start again, she had enough credentials to get hired at any brokerage firm, but it wouldn’t be the same. Despite the competitiveness, there’d been a light camaraderie about the place that been amazing to be around. God, how could they think she was capable of that? Someone was framing her, setting her up to make her look bad, and Eden had a sinking feeling she knew who that someone was.
“Fucking bastard,” she cursed silently, knowing Dominic had been the mastermind behind this. She knew his handiwork. The realization that he’d found her, and more than likely had known where she was for some time now, felt like ice water in her veins. Eden could imagine him sitting behind his large desk, in his executive chair as he silently devised new and painful ways to make her suffer for daring to run from him. She could see the smirk on his lips that never quite reached those razor sharp, green eyes that had the ability to make her feel worthless in his presence. She shuddered at the thought of what would come next, because she knew this was only the beginning of her end. It was only going to get worse from her, and again her mind flirted with the idea of running. She wasn’t strong enough to face him just yet, especially now that she was jobless. But then knowing how unscrupulous he was, Eden knew Dominic would stop at nothing until she had nothing, and he would wait until the very last moment, in the fits of her desperation, before he magnanimously graced her with his divine presence and offered a helping hand. Unfortunately, Eden feared he wouldn’t be offering help this time—he was out for blood—her blood.
When she arrived home, Jenna, amazing cook that she was, had whipped up lasagna that tasted like the best thing Eden had eaten in weeks. She took comfort in Liam, his toothy smiles and ongoing efforts in ‘tummy time’. He helped her forget for a moment that his father was lying in wait, like some evil entity ready to gobble them up. It wasn’t until much later after she’d given Liam a bath and put him down for the night that Eden finally told Jenna about her job or rather the lack thereof.
“I got fired,” she said miserably, throwing back the wine glass and swallowing every little bit of the red wine. She reached for the bottle on the coffee table and poured herself a generous amount.
“Oh no, what happened?”
Eden recounted the ordeal and the bogus reasoning behind it. “I can’t believe they bought it!” she fumed, just slightly tipsy now. “I mean, honestly, if I wanted to do something so stupid, I wouldn’t leave evidence lying around!”
“Shhh, you’ll wake up the baby,” Jenna admonished softly, but still feeling bad for her sullen friend. “Well, you did say that the proof was really good. I’m sure he made it so that regardless of your denial you’d still looked guilty.”
“They didn’t even give me a chance,” she lamented, polishing off yet another glass. “God, Jen, what I am going to do?”
“Well for starters, you’re not going to drown your sorrows in that bottle. Liam needs you, especially if what you say about Dominic is true; he’s not going to stop until he gets his revenge.” She chewed on her bottom lip as a sudden, horrible thought came to her. “If he’s as ruthless as you say he is, then he might try…he might to take Liam, Eden.” At her friend’s sudden ashen complexion, Jenna knew she probably should’ve exercised a little more tact.
Eden’s beautiful honey gold eyes widened in horror suddenly sober and alert. “He wouldn’t…”
“I’m not saying he will,” Jenna was quick to soothe, “I’m just trying to prepare you for the worst.”
“No, I know.” Eden sighed, threading a hand through her hair. “I don’t know why I’m so shocked. I know exactly what he’s capable of and I certainly wouldn’t put it past him to use Liam to hurt me.”
Eden wouldn’t give him the chance. Dominic had another thing coming if he thought he could use her son for his own selfish gain. It was imperative for her to consult with an attorney, because without the law on her side, Eden was virtually powerless against her husband.
* * *
It was with somewhat bolstered spirits that Eden exited the office of Dunn and Associates the following afternoon. Her meeting with Diana Ramirez had been very reassuring, and despite the hefty price tag, Eden had encouraged her newly hired attorney to proceed with the divorce. This would resolve everything. She didn’t want his money, and Eden wouldn’t require him to give it. She would have Liam, and they would be free to continue on with their lives. Everyone would be happy. Deciding to stop by the bank to draw up what would be the first of many payments to Diana, Eden’s world was once again turned on its axis, discovering that she had a zero balance.
“What do you mean I have a zero balance? There’s supposed to be over eighty thousand dollars in that account. Check it again.” She was bordering hysterical as she tried holding herself in check but found that she was failing miserably. With only two haggard tellers working and the line behind Eden getting longer with impatient customers, Eden could feel their judgment at her back, and that only seemed to complete her humiliation and heighten her frustration.
The teller was getting aggravated with her but Eden could care less at this point. She watched the woman behind the counter press a few keys, prompt Eden to enter her pin, and was once again given the same answer. “Ma’am, I understand your frustration but there is nothing in your account. Now, my manager would be more than happy to further assist you if you could please step aside and wait over to your right. She will be right with you.” Left with little choice, Eden reluctantly stepped aside to the indicated area and thankfully wasn’t made to wait too long for this manager, who was all smiles despite Eden’s declining mental state.
Her name was Amanda Kelly, and once she’d led Eden to one of the side offices and asked her to take a seat across from her, she presented that infuriating smile and asked how she could be of any help. “I need to know how eighty thousand dollars can just disappear from my account. All your teller can tell me is I have a zero balance when I know damn well how much money was in that account to start with.”
The smile remained in place. “Oh, well, I’m so sorry to hear that this has happened to you, ma’am, we’ll do all we can to help you. I need your social security number and two forms of ID, please.”
It took a few minutes and some vigorous clicking on the keyboard before she was able to pull up Eden’s account. “From what I can see in our records, Eden, there were several small transactions made before a large transfer was made three days from this account to a joint account.”
The wind was literally knocked out of her as she sagged in her chair now completely incapable of thought.
Amanda’s cheerful disposition faltered slightly at Eden’s desolate expression. “We can begin an investigation into this transfer and see who authorized it…”
“No,” she said quietly, rising from her seat, “there’s no need. I know who’s responsible.”
The moment she believed herself a step ahead, Dominic already had three on her. He made her believe she was in control, made her think that she could somehow beat him, but it was all an illusion. It was his game and he’d mastered the rules; Eden was simply a pawn to be moved at his discretion. But with that understanding came a torrent of fury unlike anything she’d ever felt before. The instant she hopped in her car, Eden had only one direction in mind, and she drove like a bat out of hell to get there.
One of the highest buildings downtown with its gunmetal mirrored exterior was like some formidable edifice from a distant future. It was the head office of the Armstrong Corporation. Eden was on a warpath as she trudged through the expansive first floor and rode the elevator to the thirtieth floor. Determined strides took her past the surprised receptionist who’d been situated just at the front of the elevator like a sentinel. Eden paid her little mind when she hastily chased after her, nothing would deter her from searching out her bastard of a husband. His office was just beyond the closed double doors, and without further regard, Eden wrenched one of the doors with all her might and strode inside. There were two men with him when she entered, who turned bemused glances her way, but again, Eden’s mind wasn’t on anyone but the man seated behind his imposing executive desk. Eden took a momentary victory in the fleeting look of surprise that she spied on that fiercely handsome face before he quickly schooled those features into one of impassivity.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” she fumed through gritted teeth, needing some answers. But Dominic was intent on acerbating her anger as he didn’t even acknowledge her.
“As I was saying…”
“I swear to God, Dominic, if you don’t excuse these men right now, I will air all our dirty laundry in front of them, and they’ll know just how twisted and vile you really are.” When he finally slid his green eyes to her, Eden’s heart stopped for an instant at the blazing fury she spied there. He didn’t like being threatened, and the fact she was pushing back, something that she’d never done before, only added fuel to the fire. Eden was ready to roast his ass in the inferno. And maybe he knew exactly how serious she was because he finally excused the men who’d taken on the brief display with curious and confused stares.
“Gentlemen, I’m afraid we must reschedule our meeting. My darling wife has only just returned from a trip to Italy and wishes to regale me with tales of her fascinating time there,” he drily delivered, prompting both men to chuckle appropriately before rising from their seats and leaving the room. The tension that poured in upon their exit was palpable, so thick that Eden could feel it choking her.
“Well, my pet.” He smoothly popped the button of his suit jacket as he leaned back in his chair, framed by the floor to ceiling windows, looking every bit the executive. “Do tell me about your adventurous trip to Italy.”
He was so goddamn smug, so damn confident in his indolent pose that Eden wanted nothing more than to jump across the expansive desk and choke him with his dove grey tie. She was so angry that she was literally shaking from it, attempting to scrounge up a modicum of composure was a complete failure. “I don’t care how you did it, but I want you return every last red cent of my money—”
His bark of laughter caused her to jump at the unexpectedness of it. It wasn’t a delightful sound, it was completely devoid of humor, and only served to unnerve Eden.
“How predictable you are,” he indolently chided.
Eden watched wearily as he straightened, unfolded his leonine form from the chair, and walked with measured steps around the desk. The dangerous glint in his eyes made her take an involuntary step back, and although he didn’t advance on her as she’d initially presumed he would do, she quickly formed an escape strategy, noting the doubles doors behind her. Despite his immorality, he’d never laid a violent hand on her, but Eden wouldn’t put it past Dominic. Especially now, given the almost lethal expression on his granite features, he looked like he wanted to throttle her.
“But then again, it has always been about the money, hasn’t it?” he derided almost silently to himself, leaning back against the edge of the desk and crossing his feet at the ankles. Narrowed green eyes fastened on her, raking languidly down the length of her body, making Eden feel instantly exposed to him. She fought the urge to raise her arms and cover herself, which was completely ridiculous given that she was fully clothed, but Dominic had that effect on her. “I knew money was the only way to draw you out and you fell so perfectly for it. Although I shouldn’t be surprised, a money hungry whore is always a money hungry whore, regardless of how much time has passed.”
“I may be a money hungry whore, but then what does that say about you? I don’t imagine it would go too well if the press learned about your depravity and how you paid me to be your wife. I can see it now, media mogul, Dominic Armstrong, so desperate for female companionship that he would resort to paying cold hard cash just for sex. Very pathetic.” Eden barely had time to retreat before she was faced with Dominic’s ferocity. He’d closed the distant between them in one long stride and clamped a hand around her arm in the next second. He deliberately invaded her space, coming so close to her that she could smell the citric notes of his cologne. Held completely at a disadvantage because of his towering height, she had to crane her neck up to meet his gaze, and Eden shuddered at the unadulterated rage that blanketed his savagely handsome face. The murderous glint she spied in his emerald eyes made her want to run for cover. “Let…let go…” She attempted to pull away with futility, finding that the manacle of flesh around her arm seemed to only grow tighter.
“You vindictive little—” he thundered, but stopped himself before he could say the word that was on the very tip of his tongue. “Be very sure that you are ready to carry out that threat, sweet pet, otherwise you will not like what will come after,” he spelled out with deadly calm, but the tension of at his jawline was a clear indication of his restraint.
Fear breathed down her spine, telling her to tread cautiously, but that warning went unheeded as Eden squared away with him, refusing to back down. There was too much as stake now to allow him the upper hand in this. She couldn’t afford to cower, not when there was Liam to consider. “You don’t like being threatened, Dominic? Welcome to my world. That’s exactly how you’ve made me feel every single moment I was married to you,” she fired back, looking him dead in the eye to convey exactly how serious she was. “I won’t let you bully me anymore. You may have the power and the money, but I know all your secrets. And if you push me, I will go to the press. Now let me go.” She was surprised to find her request obliged when he released her. Eden distanced herself from him quickly enough, putting a hand to her arm to nurse the area where he’d held her. “See, Dominic, I can play just as dirty as you can. Being your wife has taught me a lot.”
In the ensuing silence he was a veritable statue, his face was devoid of any emotion. He simply regarded her, but then the corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a smile that the Cheshire Cat would’ve envied. “Yes, but apparently not enough,” he pointed out with cool temperance, turning his back to her, ambling to the liquor cabinet on the far right that she hadn’t noticed until now. With his body concealing his activity from her, Eden heard rather than saw him pour a drink into the short glass. “But I must say, I’m enjoying this side of you,” he lauded, raising the glass towards her with that damnable grin. “It pleases me immensely to know there’s more to you than what’s between your legs.” He tossed back the drink and scrunched his face a little at the burn. “Although I must admit, I have sorely missed being between your legs.”
The heat that sluiced over Eden’s skin at his candidness was blamed entirely on her anger. “You’re disgusting.”
“No, what I am, is incredibly horny, but more on that later.” He poured himself another shot, but drank it much slower than before. In his progress back to her, Eden took him in, incapable of doing otherwise. A year hadn’t changed him much. He was still agonizingly handsome, his thick dark hair well-coiffed to fit the aesthetics of his sharp, patrician features. The tailored suit he wore, Hugo Boss, if she remembered the name of his favorite designer correctly, fit him to perfection, cut and fitted to his athletic regal physique. He’d always carried himself with an air of superiority that went hand in hand with the understated sex appeal that seemed to lure the fairer sex.
“Or we can do something about now.” Eden’s faced warmed as he cast a knowing glance her way, and she cursed inwardly at being caught staring. “I want to bend you over my desk and—”
“You’re such a pig.” She made to retreat, heading towards the door. She stopped and turned. “You have until tonight to give me back the money and then I want a divorce.” Eden had her hand around the silver handle, all she needed to do was pull down and freedom would’ve been hers, but she knew escaping the devil’s lair couldn’t have been so easy.
“You seem to be under the impression that you’ve bested me in some way, but let us be completely clear on this.” His tone sent a chill down her spine as she foolishly waited for him to continue. “If you so much as speak an unkind word about me or my family, I promise you, Eden, I swear it, that you will never see your son again.” As he cruelly ripped the ground from beneath her feet, she felt him behind her, the warmth of his body radiated sun hot against her back, while the length of him pressed invasively close to her. His hard hand around her wrist whirled her around to face him. He was impervious to the fury alight in her golden honey eyes as he captured her jaw with bruising fingers and leaned down to capture her lips in a hard, punishing kiss. The crack of her palm connecting with his cheek resonated in the next second, and he recoiled slightly, but not enough for Eden to escape. Momentarily stunned, he looked at her and finally saw the revulsion in tear laden golden eyes. Dominic tongued the inside of his cheek and came away with the coppery taste of blood coating his tongue. “I would so hate to see Liam grow up without his mother.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“What you have failed to learn, sweet pet,” when he reached out to caress her face with his hand, she instantly recoiled, “is that I always win.” She made to strike him again, but Dominic was ready, catching her wrist mid-swing. “You are mine, Eden. Till death do us part.”