Gilded Cage

That girl set him on fire. She redefined lust in a whole new meaning. The very girl he couldn’t and shouldn’t have.

God mother-fucking damn it. Why did she have to like him, too?

Temptation, like her, was something he didn’t need this time. He was already neck-deep in shit by agreeing to help her escape. Brandon planned to stick with her until she was in a safe place, or maybe until she found a man who would take care of her for the rest of her life, relieving him from his responsibility. Then he’d move on and pick up where he’d left off and start over. Again.

Least, that was his plan.

Lillian couldn’t possibly want a washed-up veteran like him, could she? He was nobody and she was the heir of William Blackwell, a man who shat gold and pissed money.

Brandon frowned as he crossed the busy intersection with hundreds of other pedestrians. He caught sight of a group of giggling teenage girls in high school uniforms stalking behind him like his doting personal groupies.

“Konnichiwa, Mister. You handsome,” called one of the girls in broken English.

“Moe, moe!” yelled the others. “Kawaii!”

Very, very, cute? He cringed. Good lord. What the hell was wrong with chicks in this country?

Chapter Four

Brandon had changed into different clothes when he came back. His black tux was gone, replaced with a tee, jeans and a leather jacket. He looked positively heart throbbing in that attire. Very bad boyish. And he brought food with him, too. Takeout food. Fried noodles. Mongolian chicken. Wonton soup, all hearty and loaded with carbs. She loved it since Mrs. Mitsusaki only fed her rabbit food. Sweet and high carbohydrate food was strictly forbidden on her father’s order. Sweets were a cardinal sin. Lillian ate her meal with relish.

“So, do you have any plan now that you’re free?” Brandon broke the ice.

Lillian chewed a big piece of chicken and swallowed. “I don’t know yet, but we must take the money from my account and transfer it to yours.”

“Why?”

“It’s your fee for cancelling my wedding.”

/>

“I don’t want your money. I saved you because it was the right thing to do, not because I expected a reward.”

“Okay, what are you planning to do for a while? Do you have enough money to cover our expenses?”

He shot her an irritated look.

“Well, I guess we’re settled on that, aren’t we?”

“How did you get that money, anyway? Your father didn’t even give you square meals. I assume he wouldn’t grant you spending privileges.”

“I did day trading on the Internet. When I was fourteen, I had this great teacher, Mr. Cheng, and he was a math genius. He opened a Schwab account for me and gave me ten thousand yen to start. He taught me how to trade. Over the years, I’ve accumulated enough money to hire someone like you.”

Brandon looked thoughtful. “Day trading, huh? I guess not everyone in your father’s staff is a pussy.”

“Oh, Mr. Cheng didn’t do it because he had sympathy for me. He was rather warped, if I must say. He did it because he wanted to see if I could build my own fortune, just like my father, secretly. I’m sure you know how my father made his fortune?”

“Stock market. Overnight billionaire.”

Lillian nodded. “Mr. Cheng would have been proud if he was still around.”

“What happened to him?”

“Stanford crippled him. He didn’t like the way Mr. Cheng looked at me.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Mr. Cheng is gay. He was harmless.”