Master & Student (The Billionaire's Way 2)

Mr. Peak looks at the TV with fire in his eyes. He sees the thousands upon thousands of Odostan citizens screaming for blood. He looks at the tanks on the street and the jet fighters in the air. Mr. Peak made this happen. He has true power only few men will ever know.

As my boss watches the action unfold, he walks up to me. He grabs me by the hi**ps. “You see that,” he whispers into my ear. “That is how you become a true master in this world. A big bank account can come and go. The power to control entire nations is the key to becoming untouchable by governments, by dictators and by Kings.”

“I am learning so much from you, Sir.”

Mr. Peak places his forearm across my neck. “Let me ask you a question,” he says as he slowly cuts off the oxygen to my neck. “Would you ever betray me?”

“No,” I say as I struggle to breathe.

“Would you ever sell me out to protect yourself?”

“No sir!” I squeak out as he tightens his grip.

“Would you sell me out for money!”

“No. Please!” I beg as he chokes the life out of me.

“I don’t believe you. I knew that you were gifted in the art of deceit. You used deceit to get your foot into my door. You used deceit to gain information from Sir Gerald and Sergey. You are not a student. You are a f**king master. You are a master of deceit and I know that you would eventually turn on me, Sarah. You tell me that you would be loyal? I can see deceit in your eyes,” he says as he lets me go.

I fall to the ground. My body feels weak. I struggle to breathe. The room spins as I try to focus my eyes. I look around the room for my boss. He is standing next to the window, looking out over the park.

As I regain my vision, I see him standing there confused and perplexed. What could be bothering him. This is a man who does not seem to be afraid of anything. This is the first time I have seen my boss be truly conflicted.

I am too weak to stand up. I crawl to Mr. Peak. I have to know what I have done to displease my master. “Mr. Peak,” I beg. “Please understand that I would do anything for you. I would never betray you. I would never hurt you.”

Nothing. No reaction. It’s as though I am not even in the room. Oh God. I have never felt so abandoned in my life. Out of all of the things Mr. Peak has done to me, this hurts the most. This is not a pleasurable pain. This is real pain. This is neglect.

“Mr. Peak!” I yell at the top of my voice. I grab onto his pants and struggle to pull myself up. He won’t even look me in the eye. “Please look at me. Please. Please, Sir. Look at me,” I yell as my lower lip quivers.

Seconds go by. A full minute goes by. My boss walks away from me. He walks to the table and presses the intercom. “Mary, bring in the suitcase,” my boss orders. I lean up against the window. I bang my head against it. Dammit. Mr. Peak doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.

The office door opens. A stunning redhead carries a black suitcase inside. She leaves as quickly as she enters. Mr. Peak opens the suitcase and looks inside. Then he walks over to me. He drops the suitcase onto my feet.

“Open it,” he orders.

At last. Mr. Peak has acknowledged my presence! I struggle to open the case. My trembling fingers will not allow me to properly follow my boss’s orders. After long seconds of crying and fumbling, I finally unlock the suitcase.

I open up the case and see a collection of one hundred dollar bills, gold and silver and diamonds. There must be fifty million dollars of wealth in this suitcase. “That’s yours. Payment for services rendered. You can walk out of that door and out of my life and never have to work another day for as long as you shall live,” Mr. Peak tells me.

This is it. This suitcase is the end to all of my troubles. This is the end to all of my worries. I could move to Hawaii. I could buy a little place on the beach and enjoy thousands of sunsets without fear of losing everything.

But what will I have in my life? A f**king suitcase full of stuff. Yes, the stuff would buy me a lifetime of leisure. But what about a lifetime of love, a lifetime of lust, a lifetime of learning, a lifetime of adventure? I would be married to this suitcase - till death or insolvency do us part.

I look at the large windows. Then I press my nose and look down 42 floors below. My life is nothing without Mr. Peak. I close the suitcase and begin slam it against the large window. “What are you doing?!” my boss yells.

I don’t answer. I struggle to lift up the suitcase. I slam it against the window again and again. “I don’t want to f**king live without you! I f**king don’t need this money! It means nothing to me!” I scream as I pound on the window with all of my might.