Married by Midnight (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series, #12) Read Online Free PDF Page B

answer.  For several seconds he just sat there, silent, staring at her with unreadable dark eyes.  The twitching of the left side of his mustache was the only indication of his anger.  “I thought it was understood,” he said slowly, “that there should be no employment without my prior knowledge and consent.  You are provided with food, shelter and an allowance which should be enough to satisfy your needs.”
    “What?  Forty pounds a week?  How do you expect me to maintain my car, take care of my needs and clothe myself with that?”  Whether or not her mother was in the room there was no way Golden could leave that unanswered.  “And by the way, just in case you hadn’t heard, we’re now in the twenty-first century.  I’m twenty years old.  I don’t need to report to you for anything I decide to do.”
    The scowl on the man’s face deepened and he pushed back his chair.  “Now, you listen.  As long as you’re under my roof-”
    “Your roof?  You, you...” Golden began to sputter, so blazing was her anger, and that was when she knew she’d better shut up.  If not, she’d be bound to say something she would regret. 
    She shook her head.  Then she drew in her breath and let it out.  Finally, she spoke.  “Do you know what?  I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.  I’m going to my room now.  Don’t bother to give me whatever message you got for me.”
    Golden grabbed her handbag off the china cabinet then turned and stalked off, leaving both her guardians staring after her.
    In her room, her only sanctuary, Golden threw her handbag onto the armchair then went and flopped down on the bed, feeling even more desperate than ever.  She needed to get away, move out on her own.  As much as she wanted to stay in the family home to be there for her mother how could she, with that despicable man trying to control her life?  She would have to go all out in her search for employment and as soon as she was earning reasonable wages she would move out.  She only hoped she could convince her mother to make the move with her.  Sadly, she didn’t hold out much hope for that happening.
    But then there was one ever-present option that was available, one that she refused to even consider.  It would get her out of this cursed house and would even mean freedom for her mother.  But could she make that move?”
    That one other option would take her far out of Manchester’s reach but wouldn’t that fate be even worse than this one? 
    ***
    “T he agency got the call,” Sharon said, her face beaming.  “We found her.”
    “Great work, Sharon.  Couldn’t have done it without you.”
    “Oh, it was nothing.”
    But Reed knew it was not ‘nothing’.  He’d been ready to hire a P.I. firm to help him find the runaway girl and had shared his plan with Sharon.
    She’d waved off his idea.  “You don’t need a private investigator for that.  Let me handle it.  How many Golden Brownes do you think could be in the Greater London area?”
    Slowly, he nodded.  “You’re right.  Browne’s pretty common but this is the first Golden I’ve heard of.”
    “I’ve heard the name before,” Sharon said, “but it’s definitely not common.  Let me do a search before you bring a P.I. in.”  Then she cocked her head to one side and gave him a knowing look “You’re really taken with this girl, aren’t you?”
    Her question took him by surprise.  Despite the fact that he and Sharon had an excellent working relationship he hadn’t expected her question.  “Taken?”
    Sharon chuckled.  “I can see it in your eyes.  I’m sorry.  I know you too well.”  Still chuckling, she went out the door to tackle the task she’d assigned herself, the pursuit of Reed’s latest business interest.
    He grimaced.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t use that as an excuse, saying she was his latest discovery, a girl who would make a perfect Davidoff model.  He could not pretend that his interest in this