Chapter 449
Emma’s face tightened, fear spilling into her eyes.
She knew what kind of man Sheridan was – ruthless, vicious, and never one to spare her dignity. He would make her do things she could hardly bear to imagine, shame her beyond words. But at this moment, she didn’t even have the right to say no.
After a moment of panic, she hesitated, shrinking back as she asked, “W-what do you want from me?”
Sheridan drew his foot away from where it had been hooked under her chin and leaned forward on the sofa, closing the distance between them. He exhaled a cloud of smoke right into her face, lips curling in a wicked, taunting smile as he glanced sideways at Adkins and Baillie. “You sure you want them to stay and watch?”
Emma instantly understood his implication. Forcing down her terror, she turned to her father and brother. “Dad, Will… Go home, please. I’ll handle the negotiations with Sheridan for the company.”
Adkins and Baillie exchanged an awkward glance; as men, they had a good idea of what Sheridan was about to do, even if the details made their skin crawl.
If they’d been normal – loving – father and brother, they would have refused to leave. They’d have protected her, fought for her, maybe even punched Sheridan in the face for daring to treat her this way.
But Adkins and Baillie weren’t normal. For them, profit always came first; everything else could be sacrificed without a second thought.
So after a strained silence, Adkins forced out a smile, his tone overly gentle. “Just make sure you keep Sheridan happy, and let us know as soon as there’s any news.”
Emma felt a cold emptiness settle inside her. Even so, she couldn’t muster a single word of protest. She only nodded – barely a whisper escaping her lips.
Once they’d left, Emma hadn’t even turned around before Sheridan roughly seized her by the hair and yanked her face toward him.
“Agh!” The pain drew a strangled cry from her, her whole body trembling as she was forced to meet his gaze.
“Kneel.” Sheridan’s voice was flat and merciless.
Emma was already crouching, so she dropped to her knees without delay, the impact of bone against hardwood sending another jolt of pain through her.
“Please – please don’t hurt me anymore. If you want something, just say it. I’ll do anything you ask, just don’t call off the engagement… that’s all I want.” Emma’s heart burned with resentment, but she was powerless. For now, she could only endure, begging him for mercy.
She was waiting for the day she’d be strong enough to fight back. When that day came, she’d make every person who’d ever wronged her pay, and pay dearly.
Sheridan studied her desperate, pleading expression. At last, the vicious sneer on his face softened a little. “If you’d always been this obedient, I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty, now would I?”
Emma shrank back, silent, trembling.
“You don’t want me to break off the engagement? Fine. But from now on, you’ll do as I say. If I tell you to go somewhere, you go. If I tell you to see someone, you see them. If I tell you to do something, you do it – no arguments. Understood?”
Emma’s whole body shook harder. She looked up at him, voice barely more than a whisper. “You… you want to hand me over to your clients.”
“Hand you over?” Sheridan scoffed. “It’s just business, a bit of company. That’s all.”
Company? She knew exactly what he meant. He wanted her in their beds.
“I’m your fiancée. Aren’t you being a little too generous?” Emma’s eyes were rimmed red, her disbelief plain.
Sheridan only laughed, patting her cheek almost playfully. “A night with you could seal a deal worth millions. Isn’t that a fair trade? Besides, sometimes I swap partners with my business friends for a little excitement. Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping.”
His smile was twisted, his eyes cold and shameless – there was nothing left of decency or humanity in him.
Emma could hardly believe what she was hearing. How had she ended up in the clutches of such a monster?
“Is that why your last two wives divorced you? Because of this?” Emma’s voice trembled with fury.
Sheridan gave a careless shrug and sighed. “That’s none of your concern. Just answer me – yes or no. If you agree, I’ll set things up right away. If you don’t, get out of my house and never come back. And if I ever see you again, I’ll make you regret it.”
He was still smiling, but there was a razor-sharp threat in his eyes. He wasn’t giving her any real choice.
Emma knelt there, silent for a few seconds, resignation settling over her like a shroud. “I… agree.”
“Good girl.” Sheridan grinned, then pulled out a credit card and tucked it into the neckline of her dress. “Use this. Buy yourself clothes, get some beauty treatments, whatever you want. Thirty grand a month limit.”
Thirty thousand a month wouldn’t save the Windsor family, but it would keep Emma’s pride afloat. Sheridan knew exactly how to keep her hooked.
Emma was surprised. She hadn’t expected him to be so generous with the money. A slap, then a handful of sugar – that was his style. Somehow, the filthy deal almost felt worth it.
“Take the next few days to recover from your injuries. There are a few events next week – I’ll be watching to see how you perform. Any deals you help close, you’ll get a cut. See? I’m not such a bad guy, am I?” Sheridan’s mood seemed to improve; his tone even turned gentle.
Emma hadn’t expected that either. “Thank you… darling.” She managed a smile and, seeing his expression soften, seized the chance to ask, “Darling, about what my father said… could you help him out?”
Sheridan’s face turned to stone, his voice ice-cold. “You really are stupid. You’re with me now – you’ll have everything you could ever want. Isn’t that enough? Why do you still care about the Windsors? They never treated you like family, never even saw you as a person.”
Emma flinched, anxiety twisting her features.
She wanted to shout, “They don’t treat me like a person, but neither do you. You’re all monsters!” But those words stayed trapped inside, echoing only in her heart.
And yet, from another angle, she couldn’t help but think that maybe – just maybe – Sheridan was right.