The Billionaire’s Curse Read Online Free

The rock weighs in at a lazy 500 karats and is rumored to be insured for £100 million. Sir Mason thanked Miss Archer for her continued support of the museum and for the generous donation that has brought Noor Jehan to Britain for the first time. The diamond is on display until September—a must-see!

    Gerald was astonished. Her hair was white and her chin sagged, but there was no mistaking it—the woman in the photo looked like an older version of his mother. He flipped to the cover. It was dated a week ago. He got out of his seat, waving the magazine at his father.
    “Hey, Dad! Is this Great-Aunt Geraldine?”
    Vi intercepted the magazine before Eddie could take it.
    She looked at the page.
    “Yes, that’s her,” she sighed. “More of her charities.”
    Gerald caught the magazine on his chest as it was flung back. He looked again at the photograph of his great-aunt and then back at his parents, who had returned to their squabbling. He tore out the page and stuffed it into his jeans pocket.
    “I’m going to the toilet,” he mumbled, and wandered toward the rear of the jet. Despite being irritated by his parents’ weird behavior and the grim start to his holidays, Gerald couldn’t help being impressed by his lavish surroundings. This certainly wasn’t like any plane he’d ever seen.
    He walked by a cluster of leather armchairs positioned around a fully stocked bar, then past a lounge area complete with cinema seating in front of a huge flat-screen TV on the wall. Further on was a dining table big enough to seat a dozen people, already laid out with white linen and crystal stemware for lunch. Everything was smooth edges and sweeping designs—like something from those “house of the future” shows on TV. Beyond the dining area and to one side was a galley kitchen hidden behind heavy blue curtains, from which came the rattle of dishes. A rich aroma of something delicious wafted from within.
    The thrum of the jet engines grew a little louder as Gerald neared the tail. At the rear of the plane, his path was blocked by an enormous set of black lacquered doors that stretched the width of the jet. They were inlaid with cherry-stained wood in a pattern depicting a man with a bow and arrow set against a radiant sun. Gerald ran his fingers across the smooth wood and marveled at the perfect fit of the inlay into the dark paneling. It made his woodwork projects at school look pretty lame. He glanced back over his shoulder, but there was no one around. He turned a golden door handle and slipped inside.
    Gerald stood still as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. After a moment he let out a low whistle. He was standing in a fully kitted-out bedroom suite, complete with a king-size bed bearing an enormous midnight-blue quilt, sewn in gold cloth with the same elaborate archer design that was on the doors. The dark ceiling was speckled with pinholes of light that gave the impression that the bed was in the middle of the outback under a star-filled night sky. Gerald recognized his mother’s overnight bag on the floor by the bed and what looked very much like her pajamas laid out on a blue velvet couch at the far end of the suite.
    “I guess I’m sleeping in a chair then,” he grumped. He gave the bag a sulky kick and it toppled onto its side. A few of his mother’s things spilled out. With a groan, Gerald knelt down and scooped up some toiletries and makeup. As he tipped them back into the bag he noticed something in a side pocket. He pulled out a bulky buff-colored envelope about the size of a large notebook. On the front was his mother’s name—Violet Wilkins—in ornate handwriting. Flipping it over, he saw that the flap on the back was sealed with a large splodge of red wax. There was a design pressed into the seal but it was too dark to make it out. Gerald was about to crack open the wax when there was a faint sound behind him. The sound of doors being opened.
    Gerald moved quickly. In an instant he had stuffed the