The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

it…” she had been about to say she’d taken it from her father but stopped herself before she looked pathetic in front of this man.  She’d had enough abuse to last her a lifetime.  She was damned if she was going to endure it one second more.  “I’m not going to take it from you,” she finished and turned on her heel to leave.
     
    But Jason wasn’t finished with her.  He grabbed her arm and swung her about, forcing her to stop and hear what he had to say.  “Listen, my dear.  We’re getting married so get over yourself.  You came here proposing to marry me.  I’ve now accepted.  In business, you should never go back on your promise.  It makes for a very poor future,” he threatened ominously .
     
    Emma had burned off all her righteous out rage and now she was genuinely intimidated by a man who practiced this on a daily basis.  How was she supposed to win an argument with a man like Jason Montenegro?  
     
    Regardless, she wasn’t going to tie her life to this awful man.  Her father, she hadn’t had a choice.  But Jason Montenegro, she could reject.  With as much dignity as she could muster while feeling as if he’d just wiped his feet on her nose, she shook her head and stood her ground.  “No.  I’m sorry, I made a mistake.  Please ignore my proposal.”
     
    She was almost to the door when his next words stopped her.  “Are you saying you don’t want to find your mother anymore?  After all she’s done to get to you, are you now relinquishing all rights to her?”
     
    If he’d said anything else, she would have walked through the doors and ignored him.  All of her father’s filthy money could just rot in hell.  But he’d latched onto the one thing she couldn’t give up, the one thing that might be a balm to her damaged soul.  Emma desperately wanted to find her mother , to find out why she’d left and hear from her own mouth that she hadn’t abandoned Emma to a soulless monster .  Hearing Jason say the words reminded her of the past twenty years and how much she’d missed the loving arms and sweet voice of her mother. 
     
    Emma leaned her head against the door, defeated yet again with humiliation burning in her chest . She felt Jason walk up behind her , the heat of his body burning into the wool of her shapeless jumper .  “The sixteenth, Emma.  I’ll pick you up at noon .  Be ready.”
     
    She refused to let the tears fall with this man to witness her trouncing .  There had been too many wasted tears in her life and she was frankly sick of being one of those women who cried.  It was time to be strong.  It would be what her mother would want, she told herself.  His last words reminded her that she didn’t have any money, nor did she have access to any. 
     
    Without turning around, she spoke with a tone that surprised even her with the strength behind the words.  “I don’t have any funds to buy a new dress so you’ll just have to accept me like this.”
     
    She was about to open the door when he shoved some bills into her hand.  “Here.  Buy a white dress.  Every girl needs a wedding to remember, don’t they?”   His sarcasm wasn’t missed on her. 
     
    She stared at the bills in her hand, astonished at the amount.  But it was his money and he was more of a bastard than her father had ever been.  Because Jason had been nice initially, she’d trusted him.  And she’d lost her pride with his crushing of that trust . 
     
    She turned to toss the cash back at him but again, he read her mind and stopped her with a few ruthless words .  “Don’t toss it aside, Emma.  I can be very generous but you’ll need to learn to treat me right.”  His words were soft and close to her ear.  Unfortunately, she had no idea what he meant by them.  All she knew was that she could smell his scent and feel the heat of his body.  His lips even brushed against the sensitive shell of her ear, sending shivers down her nerves and scaring her with the