Unmasked (New Adult Romance) (The Unmasked Series) Read Online Free PDF

certainly protected me from
everything very well. The only scars I have, aside from the ones that have no
explanation," he ran his finger along the white mark, "is from nicking myself
with a razor. Then you took those away!"
    "Calm down, sir. Please, there are guests in the
foyer." Gadsen moved closer and smoothed his lapels, then put his hands on
Preston's shoulders and turned his chair around.
    The mismatched eyes, they didn't shock Gadsen.
They never had. After all, he was there when the boy was born. He helped bring
him into the world. He knew everything. But he said nothing.
    Especially not to Preston.
    "Are you ready to listen to me, sir?"
    "Go on warbling, Gadsen." Preston pinched his
temples again, trying to ward off the fourth – or was it the fifth – headache
of the day. "Just say whatever it is you want me to do. I'm sure I'll do it."
    "Whatever you were thinking about has put a
terrible mood in you."
    "Go on, Gadsen."
    "The stipulations of the trust are that you must
be married, and must have the reasonable expectation to remain so – meaning it
can't be a convenience marriage and then immediately annulled – and the
reasonable expectation that the Webb line will continue. You must accomplish
this within five years of your father's death. As you know, that was-"
    "Four years, ten months, one week, four days and,"
he checked his watch, "eight hours. I can go to the minutes if you like, but
after that it gets a bit murky."
    "No sir, I remember very well. I lost my best
friend on that day, if you'll recall."
    "Did you?"
    Gadsen swallowed.
    "Well that's all well and good. I don't know what
exactly it is you expect me to do about it. Is there some local bar I should start
frequenting?"
    "No, sir."
    "Well then what would you have me to do? I don't
actually know anyone outside of this house, and then there's...this..." He ran
his finger along his scar.
    "You have all the money in the world, sir, I'm
sure that would be enough to get someone to look past a scar."
    "So you'd have me buy a wife, then. Good. That's
good, just what I want. An entire life without human contact, and then I buy a
wife. Good, Gadsen. Glad that's cleared up."
    "At least think about it. If you don't manage to
fulfill the terms of the trust, ownership of the company, and full decisions
thereof, will revert to the board so that they can run the company. And we
can't have that."
    "You."
    "What, sir?"
    "You can't have that. That's what you mean."
    "I don't know what you're getting on about, but
I'll not listen to any more of this rubbish." The stiff-necked butler stuck out
his lower jaw. "Do think on what I've said. Whenever you're more reasonable
we'll talk again."
    "Right, Gadsen, right."
    The door clicked softly.
    Preston Webb stared straight out his window, right
at the spot where he watched that pretty little girl – the only one he'd ever
watched – all those years ago.
    "Wait a minute. If she's back in town, I wonder if
she's going to keep up any old habits. If my dad's any indication, picking
mushrooms is one of those life-long hobbies."
    He reached across his desk to the phone, picked it
up and dialed the security office.
    "Webb Oilworks, security station four, this is
Peter."
    "Peter, good to hear your voice," Preston smiled.
Peter Roark was, of all the employees, the only one he really trusted to not
get things back to Gadsen. He was a big man, round-faced and ruddy, who worked
harder than anyone Preston had ever known. He set up the entire security system
and team for the property, and knew every single secret passage, tunnel, door,
and blind-spot in the cameras. When the elder Webb built this place, he went on
a hunt for the best in the business, and that was Peter. He had never once
failed.
    But he and Gadsen never got along. And that was
another reason Preston trusted him.
    "Mr. Webb? What's up – uh, I mean what can I do
for you, sir? I didn't expect to hear from you."
    "Do you ever?"
    "Well no, s'pose not." Peter laughed and