The Billionaire's Will Read Free Page B

clients have waited six months already.”
    “Two weeks a nd not a day more,” said the Judge. “I want this trial over and done with before I am old enough to retire.” He banged his gavel once, stood up, and left the room.
    Frustrated, Mathew slammed his fist on the table.
    “Ah, poor baby, another two weeks,” Laura mocked. She stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her red skirt.
    “Whose side are you on, Laura?”
    She cunningly smiled. “My side, Darling.”
     
     

CHAPTER 2
     
    Snooping and getting away with it was something Teresa learned as a child , and mastered in her teenage years. In a house as big as the Connelly’s, what she was looking for could be anywhere. The library was the most probable place, and she spent hours looking for a hidden safe behind the hundreds of books on the shelves. There wasn’t one in that room, but she did find a photo album that was covered in white satin. She slipped it into her bedroom and put it under the bed to inspect later.
    Convinced there was nothing else to find in the library, she headed to the office. Meticulously, she searched the top drawers of the desk for a safety deposit box key. She found no keys at all, and put everything back exactly as she found it. In the bottom drawer, lay a three-on-a-page business checkbook, and when she opened it, there were only a few checks missing. Whoever had written the checks didn’t bother to mark the stubs with a description, but then, the wealthy probably didn’t need to keep track of their spending. If she cared, she would have looked for the cancelled checks, but she didn’t care.
    Teresa set the checkbook on top of the desk, and then stared in disbelief at the only other item in the drawer. On the bottom, lay an object she hadn’t expected to find – not even in her wildest dreams. She examined it, smiled, put it and the checkbook back, and closed the drawer.
    T he next best place to find a safe was in Mathew Connelly’s bedroom. His was the master bedroom and it appeared that Laura left the marriage bed and not Mathew. Teresa found it a bit odd, considering what Laura said, but it too was not worth caring about.
    Teresa glanced at the nightstand, checked the time on Mathew’s digital clock, decided the hour was still early, and looked around. On his dresser was a masculine jewelry box that contained only one pair of gold cufflinks. She shrugged, closed the lid, and began to examine the pictures on the walls.
    Her search was unsuccessful until she came to the painting of a nude woman. When she tried to look behind it, she discovered small hinges that allowed the painting to swing open like a door. There it was, finally. The wall safe looked as old as the rest of the furnishings. It had a combination lock, and she was about to try her luck when she heard a car pull up outside. She put the picture back in place, went to the window and moved the curtain just enough to look down. The Connelly’s sleek black limousine was parked in the circle drive. The driver had the back door open and Laura was just getting out.
    “That was fast,” Teresa muttered, as she hurried out of the room and headed downstairs.
    The second Laura walked in the door; she went to the liquor cabinet, uncorked the decanter and poured herself a straight shot of vodka. She drank that one and poured another.
    “Mr. Connelly didn’t come back with you?” Teresa asked.
    “He’s still in the car on the phone with our lawyer. He’ll be here in a minute.”
    “How did court go?”
    Surprised by such a personal question, Laura ignored her maid, downed the second shot, set the glass on the bar and headed for the elevator. “I want to change clothes. Are you coming?”
    “Yes, Mum.” Teresa rushed into the elevator, rode to the second floor with her employer, walked down the hall behind her and closed the door as soon as both of them were in the bedroom. “What would you like to wear?”
    “I don’t know; something flowy and relaxing.