Beauty and the Beast Read Online Free Page A

leave this suite is on the rare occasion you can’t conduct business from it. When was the last time you actually went to your office?” Bruce owned one of the skyscrapers in downtown Chicago. His office was on the top floor.
    “Everything I need is in here.”
    “No, it isn’t.” She snatched the remote off the nightstand and pointed it toward the windows. “Life is out there.” With a touch of a button, the drapes drew back and allowed the sunlight to pour in. “You have an eleven hundred square foot prison cell with all of the latest and greatest, but at the end of the day, it’s still a prison cell. And now I’m afraid that Nefertiti…” Choked up, she fanned herself. “There’s something terribly wrong, Bruce, and I can’t help her.”
    Tears welled in Victoria’s eyes. He’d never seen her cry, and this hurt his soul. All he wanted was to make her feel better. “Try not to worry, Auntie. She just needs time to adjust. After the trial is over, I’m sure she’ll be dragging me to the Art Institute like she used to do when we were kids. And yes, I choose to spend my time in here, but this is the life I’m comfortable with. I’m not hurting anyone, and I’m content.”
      She placed her hands in her lap. “I know you’d survive if you never left this suite. I don’t like it, but I can accept it. But Nefertiti is different. She’s always been outgoing. She’s a people person. A free spirit. How long do you think she’ll survive caged in that cellar?”
    “She’s been traumatized. You have to give her time to recover.”
    “Last night was the first time since she’s been here that she’s ventured further than the study, that she actually sought someone out. And she’s only been in the study a few times. Otherwise, she remains in the old service quarters in the cellar. Why? She’s always felt comfortable within the walls of this house, so why has she walled herself into a small section like you have?”
    Unable to provide the answers, he remained silent.
    “She loves the sun. Why won’t she go outside or take one of the suites?” She sighed. “I’m afraid she’s trying to live like you.”
    He reeled back. “I know you aren’t saying she wants to be me when she grows up.”
    “In a way, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
    “Then you have nothing to worry about.” He laughed. “Give her a month or two, and she’ll be back to her nature.”
    “The attack scarred more than her body. It scarred her emotionally. I’m worried about her. All I’m asking is…” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I’m asking. But I do know living in the cellar will finish killing off her spirit.” She stood. “You need to get ready for your meeting, and I need to make sure Nefertiti remembers the pesticide man will be spraying the cellar this morning.”
    “Auntie, why does she wear that getup in the house? We’re family. We don’t care about her scars.”
    “But she does. I saw some of the reactions people had to her scarring, and I was appalled by their behavior. What if someone in this household, someone she loved, reacted poorly?”
    After she left, he hurried to get ready for his meeting, yet worried about what his aunt had said. Nefertiti, covered from head to toe, unnerved him. And her eyes… Her eyes had always been so vibrant, so alive. The lifeless brown pools he looked into last night were cold and haunting. What did he do to you?

    Kicked out of the cellar for an entire day while it aired out, Nefertiti stayed in the study and caught up on reading. The placement of the study was perfect for her to spy on anyone who entered or left through the main entryway without them seeing her. The view out the window was breathtaking. The lush grounds seemed to go on forever. The flowerbeds and walking paths begged Nefertiti to come outside for a closer look. Along the private road were huge weeping willows she’d once loved to climb. But the world outside the window no longer