One week earlier
Damien set the papers down on his desk and sat back. He was perplexed – intrigued but perplexed.
When he'd received the phone call yesterday, he'd thought it was a joke. A father couldn't truly be serious – offering his child in exchange for money. Though, as Damien went through the files on Sierra Monroe, he was beginning to realize that her father, Douglas was more than serious.
The man was willing to trade his daughter for cash. Normally, Damien wouldn't give the scum of a man the time of day. His time was too valuable to waste, and he didn't make poor business decisions.
However, he was curious – a tremendously bad thing. What was in it for Sierra? Was she going along with her father? How far was she willing to go?
He looked at her photograph, picking it up from his desk for at least the twentieth time. She was attractive – more than attractive, for that matter.
Her long dark hair was pinned back in the photo, and her dark brown, almost black eyes, were solemn as if she had secrets she was trying to hide from the world.
Her nose had the slightest bend to it as if it was broken at one time, but had healed nicely, giving her face an almost softer look. Her beauty was rounded off by her high cheekbones, and the oval shape to her face.
He hadn't been intrigued in a long time over a woman, but Sierra Monroe had his undivided attention.
He'd placed a post a week ago, needing a new public relations representative. It was placed in extremely select listings as he didn't want, nor need, the general public to apply. He wanted only the best.
The call from Douglas Monroe hadn't been the call he'd been expecting. With irritation, he lifted his phone and dialed the man's direct line.
"Douglas Monroe."
"This is Damien Whitfield. I've thought about your offer, and I've decided to accept." Damien felt no need to offer anything else.
"That's great, Damien. Why don't you come by my home tomorrow and we can sign the papers," Douglas replied, excitement rushing over the line.
Damien was even more disgusted.
"It's Mr. Whitfield, and I have conditions," Damien warned, to which there was a long pause on the other end of the line.
"What would those be?" the man finally asked, not responding to the scolding of the man being too familiar with his name.
"Is your daughter aware of our…deal?"
"I've told her that it's time she gets a job. She's had it too easy for too long. It's time she stops living off of me and learns how to make it in the real world," Douglas said, evading the question.
She was a spoiled heiress, then. Damien should just let it go and move on, but for some reason he couldn't. Well, he had a couple reasons. One of which was the people Sierra knew, the other, well, the other he still hadn't figured out.
"Is she going to give me trouble?"
"Not at all, Mr. Whitfield. My daughter has been taught to behave," Douglas said with an evil laugh.
A shudder rippled down Damien's spine. He wasn't even in the room with Douglas, but the man oozed filth. People like him would eventually fail. That's why Damien was confident in his plans to finally keep his promise to his mother.
His supposed family was just like Douglas Monroe, full of greed and not afraid to walk on people to get what they wanted. They'd fail as well.
"Fine, I'll meet you at your place, but not until next week. My attorney will have the paperwork ready." Damien hung up the phone without saying anything further.
The less he talked to the slime ball, the more he'd be able to stomach making a deal with the devil.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he picked up the second stack of paperwork on his desk, this time a genuine smile popping out on his face. It was time. Finally, he had what he needed to start his takeover of the men who'd killed his parents.
It was long past time.
Damien's lips turned up in what would look like a smile to the rest of the world. It may have even been a smile – or at least as much of one as he was capable of giving. He watched Sierra wearily stumble away.
Since making the deal with her father, he'd studied up on her, making sure he wanted to hire the spoiled heiress. The more he learned, the more intrigued he became. He was suddenly impatient to close the deal.
He thought about going after her, but he wasn't an impulsive man, or at least with most people he wasn't. His lips softened as he thought of his one and only friend, Trinity. His only impulsive act, ever, had been to offer to marry her.
He would've, too, had she said yes. Luckily, Drew, the baby's father, had come back into her life, and not only wanted to do the right thing, but Drew was deeply in love with Trinity.
Damien didn't believe in happily-ever-after love, but it was hard to deny that Trinity and Drew were, indeed, in love. The way they looked at each other was almost disturbing.
He shook off thoughts of Trinity. He couldn't carry out his plans if he thought of his best friend. She'd kill him if she knew what he was up to. He'd never spoken of his past with anyone, not even Trinity. He hardened his resolve. He'd made a promise to his mother – a promise he intended to keep. He'd made that vow before Trinity found him so many years earlier, before she rescued him from the dark bitterness of his life.
Damien's eyes snapped back to Sierra as she walked away from the reception. She was just another piece of the puzzle to the grand design of his life, to the purpose he'd practically been made for. He could succeed without her, but why should he. He liked what he saw, and with such an appealing package up for grabs, he figured, why not?
She had a natural grace and beauty about her that could easily reel a man in. He wasn't worried about getting too attached. He wasn't interested in love. He'd been there, done that. He should've just listened to his mother, and never tried any road but the one that led to his parent's vindication.
His so-called family would pay. They'd pay big.
Sierra was almost meaningless – almost. She just happened to have a best friend who was a part of the family he was close to taking over. With her father so easily trading his daughter, who was he to refuse?
The meeting with her father hadn't been pleasant. The man was the lowest kind of scum, but Damien figured he was doing Sierra a favor getting her out of there, not that she seemed to be in a hurry, from everything he'd learned so far.
Damien's mind drifted as he thought about his conversation with Douglas Monroe:
"Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Whitfield?" Douglas said, obviously pleased at having Damien in his office. The man was practically salivating as he waited for Damien to sign on the dotted line.
Damien was silent as he towered over the guy. He wasn't there to make friends with Douglas. He was there for a business transaction. Damien had done his research. He knew Douglas was in deep enough trouble that he needed the deal they were making.
Mr. Monroe still had the rest of the world fooled, planning a huge, over-the-top wedding for his daughter, living large in his twenty-thousand square foot mansion, driving his over-priced vehicles - but Damien knew Douglas was close to bankrupt. He'd made poor business choices, and in-turn, had lost billions of dollars.
The man was practically a slithering idiot at the opportunity to do business with Damien's corporation.
The longer Damien was silent, the more nervous Douglas became. Damien could practically taste the man's fear. He had to remind himself that his battle wasn't with Douglas Monroe. He didn't care if the man failed or succeeded in life, though Damien had a feeling Douglas would soon be losing everything.
With self-taught control, Damien pulled himself together. He wasn't there to make Douglas sweat. Damien was successful in what he did because of how well he read people. He saw weakness, and he immediately wanted to go for the jugular – close the deal. And he certainly saw weakness in Douglas.
Damien owned thousands of properties throughout the world, making only the finest of wines. He knew how to choose the land, pick the vines and staff the property to make wine in which royalty was on stand-by for.
Damien seemed to have the Midas touch, because every venture he invested in, every dollar he made, ended up tripling. He couldn't seem to lose when it came to financials, but it was never enough. None of it was.
Only retribution could soothe his troubled soul.
"To be honest, Douglas," he stressed the name, letting the man know that even though Douglas couldn't address Damien informally, Damien certainly would take the opportunity to do so to Douglas. It was a power play, letting his opponent know he was the weaker man. "I wasn't going to take you up on your offer, but then I did some research… It made me change my mind. I'm intrigued by why you'd basically sell your child."
Damien left the words as a statement, seeing if Douglas would fill in the blanks.
"You placed an ad. I just happen to have a solution. I'm looking for investors, so it seemed a mutually benefiting deal. I'm a very private man, though, and the terms of our agreement are to stay between us," Douglas said, showing a bit of the backbone that had made him billions of dollars.
"I'm private myself, Douglas."
Douglas gazed at him for a few silent moments. Damien could see the man was trying to decide if Damien was for real or not. Though Damien's passion was his vineyards, he was well-known throughout the world as a smart investor. It was common knowledge that he never invested in a losing company.
Damien knew he'd most likely lose every dime of money he sunk into Monroe enterprises but it didn't matter. This wasn't about making money, it was about payback, and Damien didn't care if he lost millions. It was inconsequential to him.
"Fine. It looks like we're both agreeable. Are you going to accept the offer?" Douglas finally asked, sitting back, trying to portray a man with confidence, who was slightly bored. He wasn't pulling it off.
"I'm willing to invest ten million into your project." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Only if your daughter is… cooperative."
Douglas waited for more. Damien said nothing else.
"How cooperative?" Douglas finally asked, his brow beading with sweat as he nervously waited for Damien's reply. It was obvious the man didn't think his daughter was worth ten million dollars. In reality, he was most likely right. The only woman Damien could think of worth that kind of money was already taken.
"Do you really want to know?" Damien mocked.
Damien was still standing, towering his six-foot-plus frame over the small man. He bent down, his knuckles grazing the desk. He knew intimidation was his best tactical maneuver.
"I can't make any guarantees about her attitude, but I'll make sure she works hard," Douglas said, perspiration starting to drip from his brow.
"I wouldn't be too concerned about her attitude. From everything I've learned about her, she seems to be quite…accommodating," Damien mocked.
He watched as Douglas blanched, but didn't back down. The man was truly selling his daughter, even with Damien leaving the impression that he wanted her for nothing more than a slave.
He wanted to turn and walk from the room, dismiss the entire deal, but the more he sunk into this twisted family, the more he desired to know about Sierra Monroe. He'd have his answers soon enough.
Damien's cold eyes showed none of the emotions raging through him as he pulled the pen from his breast pocket. He signed the paper before looking into the greedy eyes of his newest investee. It was the first time he'd signed a deal that made his stomach turn.