Ellie couldn’t breathe. She thought she might pass out. The woman standing in front of her had to be lying. It just couldn’t be true! She felt inclined to not believe her, but at the same time, she felt as if she was telling her partly the truth. The way she carried herself reminded Ellie of Morgan. The way he was able to control the room wherever he went.
The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh, move out of my way!” She pushed Ellie aside and strode into the mansion. She slowly gazed around and scoffed. “This is horrible.” Shaking her head, she strode forward. Tall, beautiful, long legs and hair a pure golden color. Everything about her seemed perfect.
“You can’t just barge—?”
“I can so. This will be half mine. I’m Daphne Yearwood, sole heir to Yearwood Unlimited. Everything Morgan has will be half mine,” Daphne answered without breaking her stride as she made her way into the living area.
Ellie followed as her heart pounded and the beginnings of a migraine started.
Daphne went around the room and flicked her finger at this and that.
“You need to leave. If you want to speak to Morgan, you can make an appointment like everyone else!” Ellie shouted.
The woman ignored her completely. “This wall will have to be torn out and open up this space. Then all this furniture…” she paused and waved her hand at the overstuffed leather couch. “Will have to go. It is all trash.”
Ellie was breathing hard and her rage was building. She paused to stare at the couch. How many times had she and Morgan had sex there, or laid there and watched an old movie or Netflix? She had to breathe through her nose, as she felt a bit dizzy from almost hyperventilating for the last ten minutes. This can’t be real. After all they’d gone through to be here in this house together. Then this nasty bitch shows up and thinks she can tear us apart?
Daphne paused at the mantle and grabbed a picture up.
Ellie gasped. It was of her and Morgan on the balcony of the third floor overlooking the back of the mansion. They’d taken a picture to celebrate finishing the landscaping of the back part of the house.
Daphne tossed it onto the marble floor. It shattered and the frame broke.
“Hey!” Ellie rushed forward and bent down to pick up the pieces. She cut her finger then let out an, ouch.
Daphne’s laughter rang out over her head.
Ellie glared up at her. “Get out!” she hissed.
Daphne’s laughter halted. “I will leave when I’m ready and not a minute—”
Ellie rose up with her fists clenched. “I will toss you out on your fucking botoxed, silicone filled ass!”
Daphne blinked at her, then took a step forward. “Low class that is all you are. A pretty romp for Morgan before our merger.”
“Merger?” Ellie stared at her.
“Our wedding.”
“You are insane.” Ellie sighed and pointed toward the foyer. “Leave.”
Daphne sniffed. “You’re just his plaything. A billionaire’s sex toy. I know how he is. I’ve been in bed with him many times. He likes it rough.”
Ellie’s eyes widened.
“Yes, and I bet you’re as meek as a lamb, aren’t you?”
Ellie glared at her as blood dripped from her fist. “You’re the one who is low class. I won’t ask again!”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “You can still keep your scholarship and your little dreary life. But soon, you will have to move on. You will just be in the way of our two fortunes merging.” She laughed at Ellie’s stunned expression. “Oh, yes. I know all about you little Amy.”
“It’s Ellie!”
“Amy, Ellie who cares? You’re a dime a dozen. I mean we all know Morgan Hunt, he has bedded a hundred just like you.” She laughed loudly. “Just tell my Morgan I dropped by.” She strode past her. Then she paused and threw back, “Oh, and say hello to your Chemistry Professor too.”
Ellie felt the color leave her face. She knows about Hillborn? How did she know about that? Oh, god. Oh, god. Then she realized something. Yearwood. “Wait!” Ellie called. Now she remembered who this was.
Daphne slowly turned around.
“You’re that bimbo that claimed he got you pregnant, then you were proven wrong!”
Daphne didn’t bat an eyelash. “Who says I was wrong?” She patted her baby bump on her belly as she grinned at her. “No one has proven it isn’t his.” She waved her off and waltzed back through the house. “But I intend to show the world that he is the father.”
Ellie stood still as she huffed and puffed. Then her body jumped as the front door slammed with a BOOM!
Looking around, she didn’t know what to do. Or what to think. The woman must be insane. She remembered what Morgan had said about her. “I had sex with her three whole times and in fact, the last two was not anything I care to repeat. The woman is a cold hearted bitch and I dropped her as soon as I could.”
So, how could she think they were engaged? Ellie rushed to the downstairs bathroom to take care of her cut. She ran water over it and it stung. But not like this news stung. Part of what the woman said must be true? Right?
She raised her head and looked into the bathroom mirror. Before if something like this happened, I would just pack up and leave. Run away like a little girl. Cry myself to sleep. Her eyes narrowed. Not this time. Morgan has said they had a future that she meant more to him than anyone in his life. That he loved her.
Ellie let out a breath. I can do this. I stand and fight. I’ll also be standing in front of Morgan in a couple of hours and he’d better tell me the truth or I will walk away. I won’t run, but I won’t put up with this!
Morgan was greeted by the President of Helix Corp, Donald Webster as he made his way into the boardroom. There were a handful of men on the board of directors already sitting around the table. The President introduced Morgan to each one of the board members.
Morgan stood in front of his seat and gave them all his dazzling dealmaker’s smile. “Are you all ready to become filthy rich?”
The board members all laughed. They had met him before and knew what to expect. Morgan cleared his throat and he wanted to crack his knuckles like someone would before they dug into something meaty and juicy.” The Takeover has been set. As we all discussed before. It was on the table and ready, he pulled out the paperwork. All in stacks of seven for each of them to see.
The secretary stopped at each chair and placed a stack in front of each board member. He’d offered the buyout at 300 million in exchange for the entire company.
The board of directors and the President all looked a bit stunned, but they then read over most of the wording and they seemed happy.
While they all discussed the points on the paperwork, Morgan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He raised it a bit out of his pocket and saw that the text was from Chance. The man always had bad timing. He couldn’t afford to play games right now, there was a deal actually on the table ready to be made. The acquisition of Helix Corp was a big opportunity. Helix Corp was about to make breakthroughs in the medical industry with patented administration of drugs and the most astounding medical applications like the retractable syringe needle and this would boost Hunt Industries shares, once the acquisition went through. Morgan was essentially getting the company for pennies on the dollar. A shrewd move.
Another text came in. Dammit.
The President looked up. “You can take the call while we discuss this if you need to, Mr. Hunt.”
Morgan smiled and nodded at him while inside, he wanted to spit nails. Before he could move to the door, his phone rang. Furious, he stepped out into the outer office. Tapping his phone, he snapped, “WHAT?”
“We are so fucked,”
“What?” Morgan asked.
“Well, when I said we I meant mostly… YOU. Haven’t you picked up my texts?”
“No dammit. I’m sealing the Helix deal, you nimwit! You knew this.”
“I don’t think you will be sealing anything, and do not call me names, you ass.”
“Stop playing games, Chance,” he seethed through the phone.
“I mean it man. Read the texts. This shit has done hit the fan!”
“Oh, calm down, you girl and let me look.” Morgan scrolled through to the texts. His eyes widened as he read them. “What the fuck?” It was an article with the headlines of:
SCANDAL. CEO Morgan Hunt is a father and he tried to escape his responsibilities to Miss Daphne Yearwood by sending in some stranger to claim the child as his, so he could frolic with his latest hookup. Apparently, the shipping mogul incident was a cover up.
Morgan was pissed. He opened the link Chance sent him and skimmed through it. It basically talked about how Hunt Industries was trying to cover up the fact Morgan got Daphne pregnant out of wedlock, the heiress to the shipping industry Yearwood Unlimited. The comments to the news article were crazy, talking about how billionaires don’t take responsibilities and Hunt Industries was a shady conglomerate for trying to cover this up etc.
Morgan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he picked up the phone again, putting Chance back on. “Who leaked this bullshit?”
“Man I don’t know. This all should have went away already, but the Board of Hunt is spooked dude and they want you to come into an emergency meeting ASAP.”
“How bad is it?” Morgan asked him.
“Hunt shares have dropped four percent since the article went out.” “Fuck,” Morgan grumbled. “I’ll come to New York as soon as I close this deal.” He tapped his phone and turned to go back into the boardroom. At least he could get this done and that may calm the board at Hunt. He put away his phone and turned around.
The President of Helix Corp approached him his expression looked grave.
Shit! This can’t be happening!
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hunt but at the present moment, they won’t strike a deal. They don’t want to be mixed up with the drama and would prefer to hold off the acquisition till this incident is cleared up.”
They clearly read the article themselves as he was reading it. He shook Don’s hand and said he understood, but secretly, he was pissed. Daphne just fucked up the biggest acquisition he’d developed all year since Japan. He made his way down in the elevator. “When someone fucks with my shit, I’m not going to just stand around and let it happen.”
He headed out of the parking garage. Today, he was driving the blue charger. Coincidence? He wondered. The day he first heard of the merger with the Yearwood’s, mainly with Daphne, was the day he’d found that toy car and yes, here he was driving one today. As he’d already driven all the others, he’d vowed to own and drive. Still, none of it meant as much as it used to. In fact, none of this meant as much. What happened? He was pissed about his deal going awry but he wasn’t obsessed with it. Pursuing it like a goddamn bloodhound. No. What was he doing? Heading home to his Ellie.
He felt light and less bogged down, the closer he got to their home. Their home. The two words repeated in his head. He finally had her with him one hundred percent. He turned the player on ad listened to old rock as he drove the back road to Mockingbird lane.
He saw a car parked in the drive as he pulled in and got out. Must be the decorator.
A woman strolled to the little Bentley and got in.
Ellie must have already taken care of the initial plans. He waved at the woman as she drove away.
She scowled at him and he dropped his hand. What was that about? He looked up at the door.
Ellie stood there with her arms crossed over her beautiful, ample chest.
Morgan raised a brow as the first inkling of something bad stroked along his spine. Striding to the steps, he took them two at a time. Then when he got close, he saw the bandage on Ellie’s hand. “What happened?” he asked in concern.
“I don’t know. You tell me.” Spots of pink lit upon her cheeks and those baby blues were glittering at him.
Shit. He hadn’t seen her look like this in a while. “Okay, what happened?” he asked again. “And why did the decorator sneer at me just now?”
Ellie shrugged. “Cause I changed my mind.”
“About?”
“Doing anything with this house,” she stated and turned around to march inside.
Crap. What the hell is going on today? His gut clenched. No… Daphne wouldn’t!
He came in and looked around. Where the hell did she go? He turned and headed for the living room. He then spotted her by the mantle. At her feet was glass and wood pieces. He slowly looked up at her angry expression. “I ask again, what the hell happened?”
“We had a visitor,” she answered in a tight voice.
“Yes? The deco—”
“Fuck the decorator!” she shouted.
His eyes rounded.
“Besides, when that bitch Yearwood moves in she is going to…How did she put it?” Ellie waved her hand around, “Knock out walls and throw away the trash.” Her eyes were blazing a cobalt fire at him now. “And the first piece of trash she said would go. WOULD BE ME!” Her voice rose to a shriek.
Morgan flinched at her words. Yes, Daphne had been here. “I can explain.”
Ellie gaped at him. “Why are you always having to say that line to me?” Her voice shook as tears filled her eyes.
Morgan sighed. “I told you before she isn’t—”
“Isn’t what? YOUR fiancé?”
His head rose up as he stared at her.
“Well?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes, she is…”
Ellie’s mouth popped open.
“But she isn’t.”
Clearly stunned and angry, her body trembled. “It is a yes or no answer, Morgan.”
“Then no. No she is not.”
“But…she was?”
He nodded.
“And you neglected to tell me.” It wasn’t a question.
“It was a past thing and not important anymore.”
Ellie dropped her arms and stared at him for a full minute. “I was gonna stay and tough this out. But it was because I thought she was crazy and a liar. Now I realize I’m the one who is crazy and you are the LIAR!” She turned and headed for the foyer.
Morgan took off after her, grabbing her up.
“Put me down!” she shouted.
“You need to listen!”
“I was here to listen all these months but you weren’t talking, were you?”
Morgan knew he was closer to losing her than ever before. He just found out today that he could lose 300 million dollars and get over it. But he knew he would not get over losing this little female who wanted to kill him at the present moment. He backed her up against the wall. “Calm down, so I can tell you the truth,” he whispered to her ear in a low voice.
Ellie’s chest was heaving and her whole body trembled in his arms.
Dammit, he was hard as hell. He loved it when she was mad, even when she aimed her anger at him. He could smell her sweet scent and he wanted to kiss her mouth then look at her just kissed lips as they puffed out just a bit from his mouth punishing them. He wanted her right now. But he’d better tread carefully here.
“I’m leaving. You can keep your ugly world of money if that woman is an example of it!”
He sighed and pressed his lips to her ear. “My father and her father made a deal when I was 9 years old.”
Her body stilled, as she seemed to hold her breath
“It was a merger they said. Between our families. To combine our fortunes.”
Ellie sucked in a breath. “So, you never agreed to this?”
He let out a sigh. Truth Morgan, all truth. She deserves nothing else. “Yes, I agreed to it. 5 years ago, before college. My father had put it like… if I did not, I would not go to school. I would not be in the family and I would not inherit.”
“So you have been engaged for FIVE years?” Her voice rose.
Shit, this wasn’t going well. He knew he needed to make her understand. “I refused it a month ago. Told my father no.”
Ellie seemed to lose her stiff posture. “Why?”
He pulled his head back, so he could look at her and grasped her face in his hands. “Because I don’t want anyone but you.”
Sucking in a breath, Ellie’s eyes filled with tears. “S-she said I was just your plaything. That I was a dime a dozen and you had—had hundreds like me.”
Morgan felt rage—pure unadulterated rage. He knew he needed to get this back on track and he pushed that anger down. He gazed deep into her eyes. “There is only one you, Ellie. You are one in a goddamn million. You are what makes my life worth it. You’re the light for me My redemption, and my salvation. Without you…” His voice trailed away as he remembered that destroyed hotel suite when he’d been convinced he’d lost her. That monster he saw in the mirror that dark day. He lowered his hand to her legs and drew her up so her thighs were around him as he wedged her to the wall. “Feel how hard I am?” he asked in a low voice.
Ellie lowered her hand to his tented dress pants.
“I only get that way for you now. No other woman. I want and need only you.” He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her hard.
Her arms wound their way around his neck as she kissed him back.
He finally and breathlessly broke the kiss. He lowered her legs and tore her shirt open. Then he pulled her breasts free of her lacey bra. He licked and sucked one nipple then the other. “I want only your tits in my mouth. To be inside only your pussy.” He lowered his fingers to her skirt and slipped them in past her panties pressing them against her mound. “This is mine.” He slipped his fingers in. “Tell me…” he demanded.
Ellie was panting as she replied; “My pussy is yours.”
He gave her a smile as he plunged his fingers into her wetness. “Unzip me Ellie.”
Ellie’s shaking fingers lowered his zipper as she grabbed a hold of his hard cock.
“Stroke my cock, babe,” he whispered to her lips as he pumped her with his fingers.
She did and shook from her toes to her head. When he spoke to her like this it always turned her on. “Morgan…” she moaned.
He raised her up. “Spread wide for me, baby.”
Ellie opened her thighs.
He lined himself up. “Pull me in, Ellie. Let me fuck my pussy.”
Ellie was breathing hard now as she tugged him close.
He thrust up and into her.
Gasping, her nails scratched him through his shirt. “Ohhh…”
“That’s it, take my cock, use it. You want it deeper?” he asked.
Her head fell back. “Y-yes!”
He then fucked her up against the wall without mercy. Her body pounded up against the wood as he filled her. “Feel my hot cum, sweet Ellie, only you make me come this hard.” He thrust up high as he shot her full.
“Ahhh!” Her body convulsed as she came hard.
“Yes, come on my dick, baby. That’s it.”
Her pussy gripped him tight as she climaxed and yelled his name.
He rested his forehead against hers as he fought to get his breath even. “No one makes me feel the way you do. No one ever has,” he whispered.
Ellie looked into his eyes a mere inch from hers.
Morgan waited for her to say something, anything. If he lost her now, he may have to murder someone.