Billionaire's Perfect Revenge [18+]

SIXTY ONE

[A FEW HOURS AGO]

"Boss!" A man doubled over, panting like a dog. "We've got a situation."

Richard stared at the man for a long second, face contorting into one of confusion. "What happened?"

"You'll have to see it for yourself." The panicked minion sputtered out and stepped to the side. "Before it spirals out of control. Please."

Richard looked a second closer to kicking the man out of the room, but he schooled his expression quickly enough and sighed heavily in his chest. Turning to face the woman lying on the gurney, he shot her a small, apologetic smile. "I'll be right back. Till then, enjoy the show."

It was then Zara noticed another stretcher across the room. Just like her, a woman strapped on it. The only difference—she was still blindfolded with a black cloth and had a metallic mask clasped around her jaw.

Richard removed her mask and moved a shower sort of device over her face.

The woman begged him to stop whatever he was doing. "Please, let me go. Please, please, please. I won't tell anything to anyone. I swear it. Please don't do this."

Richard ignored all her cries and held her hand instead, drawing soothing circles over the back of her palm. As if he wasn't a monster, but a saint. "I'm sorry, love. But we have a guest over and it would suck to not present her with our best hospitality. Be a good girl, will you? And this will all be over soon, I promise."

Zara couldn't see the face of the girl, but her cries pierced through her chest and tore through her heart. "Stop it! Leave her alone!" She yelled at the man, squirming under the straps holding her down. "Ugh! Take these fucking things off me!"

"Why? So you could run to your daddy and get me punished?" Richard turned around to face her. "Oh wait. No. Your father is just another asshole, is he not?" He clicked his tongue in sympathy. "I'm glad Maddox took care of him. It saddens me to see a parent abusing their own child. It's unforgivable. Don't you think?"

"Are you kidding me? My asshole father only has the audacity to trouble a total of two people. That's his limit. But you? You're a monster! You don't deserve to be called a human. To be called one, you don't have any redeeming quality. You're a fucking lost cause."

Richard raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "You're a strange woman, Zara Fisher. I honestly like you."

Then, he slipped on a jacket and left the room with his minion.

The woman continued to cry.

"I'm so sorry," Zara whispered, feeling tired after a long struggle to break the restraints binding her to the stretcher. Her eyes grew heavy as she shook her head to keep herself awake.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Richard frowned, walking up to the woman in a black dress waiting for him outside on the badly lit porch of the red-bricked house.

The woman turned around, a cigarette tucked between her nimble fingers. Her dark eyes brightened. "If it isn't the man of the hour."

"I think I made it pretty clear how much I hate interruptions. This is my personal matter, and you guys promised not to interfere."

The woman chuckled, running fingers through her hair. "Trust me, I'm not basking in our interactions either. If it were left to me, I would stab your eyes out with my heels alone and leave you to fucking die on a snake-infested island." She teased, tipping her head to the side. "But the man I work for needs you and he promised to look out for you as long as you are an asset to him. And considering the formula isn't ready yet, I don't see how you can talk to me like you still fucking own your life."