Tianna Xander Read Online Free

rose. “Your family?”
    “If you check the history, you would see that it belonged to my great-grandfather long ago. He sold it to finance a business venture that, I’m sure, you’ll agree, was a complete success since I still own that business today and it has made us quite wealthy.” He shrugged. “If you do not wish to part with it, I’m sure I can wait until you do, or I can simply approach whoever you do decide to sell it to in the future.”
    Damek sat back in his seat, closed his briefcase, and fastened the clasps. Setting the case on the floor, he pressed the button to alert his driver to turn on the intercom.
    “Yes, sir?”
    “Turn us around, Howard. Mr. Anderson is no longer interested in selling his property. We must drop him off at his club and return to the hotel. I have urgent business in the United States.”
    Damek’s temper boiled beneath the surface of his civility. He was a man of his word. He always had been. It was an insult for this ass to back out now.
    “Whoa! Wait a minute. I never said I didn’t want to sell it to you.”
    “You said you wanted to rethink the situation, Jonathan. I can only assume you meant you wouldn’t part with it because you have another buyer in mind. If you think you’re going to get another damned dime out of me, you are mistaken.”
    The money wasn’t the issue. If the man had said, I’ve been thinking that I have asked too little for the property, would you mind renegotiating the price, there wouldn’t have been a problem. However, Anderson chose to lie to him, to tell him he’d ordered a survey. That had been a ploy to get Damek to panic and offer more. No, the money wasn’t the issue. Anderson’s integrity, or lack thereof was the problem at hand.
    Jonathan’s face turned red when he discovered that Damek was not fooled by his duplicity. “I just wondered why you wanted it so badly.”
    Damek stared back at the man, his brow raised. “Well, now you know.”
    “Yes.” Anderson nodded. “And I’ve alienated you in the process.” He leaned forward in the seat. “I don’t want this to tarnish our business relationship.”
    Too late. “It has not been tarnished beyond repair.” Damek looked out the window. “But you are correct in assuming that it changes things for the future.”
    “What if I discounted it for you? Say, knock a few hundred-thousand dollars off the price?”
    “That isn’t necessary, John. All that I ask is that you keep up your end of the bargain. The money was never the issue.” Damek leaned forward. “Remember this if you remember nothing else of this conversation. In everything in life, your word should always be your bond. If you don’t have that, you have nothing.”
    “You are absolutely correct.” Anderson nodded and sat back. “I apologize for creating this rift. I hope to be able to close it one day.”
    “It is forgotten.” Damek waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Shall we get back to business?”
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    May was going mad. She’d been under a form of house arrest for the last two weeks. Sure, she could leave, but she had to clear it with Drake and his henchmen.
    She threw the book she’d just finished across the room. Normally she would never treat a book like that, especially a library book, but she was going insane here with nothing to do.
    The book landed on the floor, its cover open and the pages bent. With a sigh, she stood, walked over to the wall, and picked it up. She smoothed the pages and closed the book, setting it gently on the table next to her bed as though the careful treatment would somehow negate her abuse.
    Walking to her window, she looked out over the grounds at the back of the house. With the swimming pool and patio just outside the sliding glass doors in the great room, to the lush, trimmed gardens beyond, she could have loved this place. Well, that is, if it weren’t for the fact that she felt like a prisoner here.
    With a sigh, May went to