The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride Read Free

thank you.  What about Tom Daniels?  Has he called back?”
     
    “Of course.  He’s confirmed that the package was delivered and all the terms were accepted.”
     
    “Good.”  Jason eased back in his seat, a feeling of success washing over him as yet another company joined the Montenegro conglomerate.  But that moment passed and he went through the details of five other deals that were currently in the works.  Montenegro Industries bought companies and incorporated them under the larger umbrella, cutting the fat, trimming down the superfluous employees and making all of the systems more efficient and profitable.  Each additional company was bought in order to somehow benefit the others, making the Montenegro machine more and more powerful. 
     
    “How was the funeral?” Betty asked when Jason stopped giving her directions fifteen minutes later.
     
    “The funeral?” Jason asked absently.
     
    He heard a small sigh, before, “The funeral of Edward Mason?” she reminded him.  “You mentioned you were going to stop by earlier today.”
     
    “Oh.  Yes, fine,” he replied.  The memory of a slender, sexy leg and shy green eyes popped into his head.  But he pushed it aside and rattled off a new list of things for Betty to finalize . 
     
    He hung up and sat back, reading through the file, his sharp mind memorizing every detail as soon as he read it.  By the time Tim, his driver, pulled up in the underground garage of Montenegro Industries headquarters, Jason had already moved on to the meeting. 

Chapter 2
     
    Coming home after the funeral, Emma walked into her father’s study, looking around in curiosity.  She had never been permitted in this office while her father had been alive.  She’d only had glimpses when the door cracked open. But if she’d been near, Emma had been too terrified of her father finding her to stop and peer inside.  Her life’s goal had been to become invisible.  Whenever he caught sight of her, a lecture or some sort of perceived misdeed was brought down upon her.  And punishments always followed. 
     
    Edward Mason never hit his daughter.  No, that could be too easily discovered by the bruises or the marks.  He’d always been more evil than that.  There were times Emma had wished he’d hit her.  For then, perhaps the punishment would be over or maybe she would black out. 
     
    But God was never that compassionate.  Emma had endured seemingly endless hours of lectures about how she had been born from a slut but he would not allow her to become one herself.   He would order her to accompany h im on a function but if she dared to look at a man, even if he spoke directly at her, Emma would be banished to her room, sometimes without food for days.  Later, when he arranged dates for her, he would accompany her on the activity himself and would always find fault with her demeanor or conduct . 
     
    During her teen years, o ne of the punishments she’d “endured” had been banishment to an all girls’ boarding school.  She had thrived during those four years of high school , making friends for the first time, learning new things, being out in the open more often when she’d dared to join a sports team .  She had spent almost every second of her spare time studying, fearful that even one low grade would have her brought back to her f ather’s merciless supervision but she’d absolutely loved the four years during which she’d been sent away from her father’s heavy presence. 
     
    University was almost as good but she was required to attend closer to home.  According to her father, she was becoming too independent and needed a man to guide her as she moved in to adulthood.  And since he was the only trustworthy man capable of defending her virtue , she lived at home and was chauffeured to all her classes. 
     
    The solicitor cleared his throat and Emma snapped out of her memories.  She smiled an apology, then quickly glanced down, afraid the