Anything He Wants: The Betrayal (#5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

give her any color. “I knew that old bastard wouldn’t leave me a red cent when he croaked, but how was I supposed to know he’d go so soon? You two thought I was no different than your father, and maybe now that’s the truth, but I knew for certain the only person I could rely on was myself.”
    “So you threw me under the bus.” Lucas’s statement wasn’t quite a question, but it was obvious he wanted answers.
    Georgia blanched, as if the impact of her actions only then occurred to her. Her mouth moved silently for a moment. “It was never supposed to go this far,” she finally said, voice low. She fiddled nervously with her purse, grabbing a tube of lipstick and small mirror, but her hands were shaking too much to apply a new layer. “That bastard father of yours didn’t leave me a dime; in fact, he managed to tie everything I thought I’d secreted away into Jeremiah’s inheritance. I knew there was no way my sons would take care of me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you act around me,” she added as an aside to Jeremiah. “Barring me from my own home, acting as if I’m an infant. You’re just as bad as your father, assuming I can’t take care of myself.”
    The accusation jolted Jeremiah, but Georgia continued. “Everything happened so quickly. I managed to find the will and read enough before the lawyers came to know I’d been screwed. Over thirty years I’d been with that bastard, borne his children, overlooked his infidelities, played my part as the dutiful Stepford wife, and he left me nothing. I helped run some nonessential committees, the ones Rufus felt perfect for my distinct lack of any useful talent. Each had been allocated a certain amount of funds and combined equaled just over thirty million dollars.” She lifted her chin. “So I took it.”
    “And left me taking the blame?” Lucas demanded.
    “I didn’t think that far ahead,” she snapped. “I knew I was on borrowed time so spent as much as I could. Turns out it was tougher to get rid of the money than I thought, at least without attracting too much attention. By the time I found out you were the prime suspect—I didn’t bother to participate in the investigation for obvious reasons—you’d already fled the country and I still had a sizeable chunk of money left. So I kept it.”
    Lucas put his hands over his heart. “I feel for you, I really do.”
    “Can the bullshit, Lucas. I messed up, plain and simple.” She turned to Jeremiah. “Now what?”
    “Yes, Jeremiah,” Lucas added. “What do you want to do about these new developments?”
    The CEO didn’t seem in any condition to talk, still obviously startled by the turn of events. I had no advice to give, only tightened my hold on his arm in silent support. What a horrible choice, I thought, sympathy pouring through me as Jeremiah looked from his mother, tapping her foot impatiently, to Lucas, who stood quietly with raised eyebrows and obviously expected an immediate answer.
    Then the front door burst open and a familiar woman’s voice shouted, “Lucas!” Every head turned toward the sound, and a moment later a disheveled Anya Petrovski stumbled in through the entryway door, flanked by a large guard. Gone was the dressed-to-the-nines beauty from the ball; very little makeup graced her face, and the elegant clothes were rumpled and disheveled as if she’d just thrown them on haphazardly. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and while her natural beauty still showed as plain as day, her features were less severe, making her appear younger and more vulnerable. Her eyes quickly scanned the room and it was obvious the moment she found Lucas that he was all she was interested in.
    Lucas, however, eyed the girl coldly. “I told you to stay away from me,” he said, voice devoid of emotion.
    His reaction toward the woman surprised me but Anya endured his scorn. She was babbling in Russian, back stiff and face stoic, but tears had pooled in her eyes at