A Gift of Passion (Lover's Gift Book 1)

by Adom Sample

  I knew how much she hated Nathan, and this would give her a perfect chance to confront him about all the things she’d told me about him over the years. I supposed this was what happened when self-doubt and denial clouded your judgment. Things tended to blow up in your face. I would never let this happen to me again—ever.

  We pulled up to the driveway, and there were three other cars in front of my place. I had better not see what I thought I was going to see when I entered this house. A woman could only take so much heartache in one night.

  “Here, take the keys. You open the door,” I said to Maya. I stood behind her to prepare myself. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In my house! My house!

  “So, it’s true,” I said. Nathan was lying on the floor, naked with four women. He jumped up, pushed the women off, and ran into the back room like a fucking coward.

  “Get the hell out of my house!” I bellowed in a fury.

  Maya didn’t allow them to get dressed. She grabbed each one by the hair and threw them out the front door before tossing their clothes out with them.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Isabella? You told me you weren’t coming home for a while. You shouldn’t be here,” he said.

  The nerve of this fucking clown. “You bastard! You lying, cheating bastard!” I was about to launch at him.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Isabella. Now let’s get one thing straight. A man has needs, and if you’re not going to satisfy those needs, then I’m obliged to get them fulfilled elsewhere.”

  “You have some nerve, you little prick. You’ve been cheating on Isabella for years. I’m glad she finally found out about you,” Maya exclaimed.

  “How could you ever say that you loved me, Nathan?” I balled my fist.

  “All right. Fine. Since everything is out in the open, I guess I can finally tell you the truth. I never loved you, Isabella. Love is an illusion. It’s quite amusing that you thought I ever loved you, you pathetic, naïve little bitch. The only thing that matters in life is pleasure, and yes, I used you to satisfy my desires. I always knew you would be successful, which is why I rode the waves of your success. I only used you for your money. I confess. Are you happy now?

  “Oliver and I are on the verge of making millions off you. It turns out we didn’t need you to sell your shares in the company after all. I’m glad you can finally see what I’ve done to you. Such a strong, forceful businesswoman. Ha! I played you like a game. You’re emotionally weak, and that’s what made it so easy. I never loved you. I could never love a prudish bitch like you. Tell me—how do you feel about that, Isabella? How does it feel to be played by someone like me? Your own husband,” he said with such confidence. I wanted to cut his damn tongue out.

  “Sorry to bust your bubble, Nathan, but I caught on to Oliver’s little scheme a while ago when Isabella made me COO. I was going to tell Isabella about it tomorrow at our meeting. We knew he had an accomplice, but never in a million years would I have thought it was you. Thanks for the confession, you moron.”

  “What? You’re lying!”

  “Afraid not. I have it all right here on my iPhone. Your confession and the whores you had in here will do wonders in divorce court,” Maya mocked.

  “You bitch!” Nathan bellowed. He lunged at Maya. Before he could get too close, I stepped in front of him and punched him across the face as hard as I could. He fell to the floor, where I kicked him once, then again, and again. I couldn’t stop myself from kicking him. He looked up at me and I kick him in the forehead.

  Please, someone stop me!

  I stomped him again in the stomach, face, and back. Each time he tried to stand up, I’d strike him back down. Maya grabbed me and pulled me away, but I broke free and ran back, kicking him in the chest. She tackled me, and we both fell to the floor, my eyes full of tears. Nathan crawled over to the couch and sat on the cushions, laughing. His face was covered in blood.

  “You can hurt me, divorce me, kick me out, and put me in jail; none of that matters. I have plenty of women who are dying to have me in their lives. I’ll just move in with one of them.”

  Given the smug, confident look on his face, my attacks hadn’t affected his ego.

  “You mean the reason you lock yourself up in your office every night? Yes, Valentina told me everything. The pain room, the spreadsheet of women you keep on your computer and notebook, all of it.”

  “Valentina? Wait, stop!” he shouted. I marched up the stairs and ran to his office. They both followed me, first Nathan, and then Maya. I opened the window closest to his computer.

  “Don’t do it, you fucking bitch,” he growled.

  “Fuck you, Nathan.” I pushed the damned thing out the window, and it smashed all over the concrete walkway.

  “God damn it!” he bellowed. He ran toward me, clenching his fist. Before he got too close, Maya took a Taser from her purse and shot him. He fell to the floor, shaking.

  “If you even think of going near her again, I’ll shock you until you shit yourself,” she threatened. He moaned on the floor, crawling on his knees. Hearing anguish in his voice lifted my spirits a bit. With drool on his lip, he sat up and smiled. He truly was sadistic.

  “So . . . Valentina told you everything, did she? Did she tell you she’s having my child?” He smirked.

  “She told me she lied to you about being pregnant. She told me just how sick and perverted you are. I will wash myself a thousand times to get the stench that is you off me. I can’t stay in this house, but I’ll have it demolished before I allow you to stay in it. You and your fucking pain room. Now get . . . the hell . . . out!” I shouted.

  “You fucking—”

  “You heard her, asshole. Get out, or you’re going to get another taste,” Maya said.

  He picked himself up and sauntered down the stairs. “This isn’t over. Do you hear me? This is far from over!” he threated.

  Maya still had the Taser pointed at him. “Leave or I’m pulling this trigger again.” Nathan yanked the Taser barbs from his chest and ran out the front door. Maya slammed it shut as I looked on from the upstairs balcony. She put her Taser back in her purse and sighed in relief.

  “Where’d you get that thing?” I asked.

  “After what my ex-boyfriend did to me, I carry mace and a Taser in my purse at all times.” We smiled at each other before I collapsed to my knees. Maya stepped back up the stairs and sat next to me, rubbing my back.

  “Congratulations, Isabella. You finally did it.” I put my hands over my face and started sobbing. I was an emotional wreck. As much of a bastard as he was, I honestly did love him, and what he said to me hurt me deeply. We had known each other for decades—how could he treat me like that? Was I blind, or was he just that good at hiding who he was? It hurt so much.

  “You’ll be all right, Isabella. Just give it time.”

  “It hurts, Maya. I’m really hurting,” I said, wiping away my tears on my sleeve.

  “I know it hurts now. But trust me. I’ve been where you are. Soon that pain will turn to anger and that anger to antipathy, and that antipathy to acceptance. And hopefully, someday, once you’ve accepted it, your heart will open up to someone who will treat you right.” I smiled through my pain. Her words were comforting. She always told me exactly what I needed to hear. I was so thankful she had been there for me through everything. She’d saved my life both personally and professionally. I was so grateful for her.

  Chapter 30

  Dante

  I could only imagine what was going on over there. All I could hear were screams. I stared outside and watched as Maya and Isabella forced that asshole and his women out of her home. It was more than satisfying to see Nathan get into his car and drive off recklessly into the night. I hoped he crashed. I’d told Maya everything but asked her to hide my involvement. I wanted to be the one to tell Isabella the truth. I wanted her to hear it from my lips so she didn’t think I’d also been hiding something from her.

  I knew she
was hurting, and I could sense her pain. For this reason, I would keep my distance until she had somewhat recovered, or until she asked to see me. I didn’t want it to happen this way, but I had no other choice.

  Her cousin forced my hand, and this was no longer about my selfish pride. This was about Isabella’s livelihood and her company. I needed her more than anything right now. Although, I was sure I was the last person occupying her thoughts.

  This was no longer about me. The entire situation had grown beyond my control. I now feared how she would react when I told her of my involvement in all this. The fact that I lived in the next villa over and I was the one who sent her the letters may not go over too well. I hoped she wouldn’t think ill of me when I revealed to her the truth. If her happiness didn’t include me being a part of her life, then so be it. I had sacrificed everything for her. Now came the time for me to tell her my truths.

  No more secrets, no more letters, no more deception. From this day forward, it would be me and me alone—Dante Alonso. All that I was, I would give to her and hope she would accept me. I loved her with all my being and I would give every cent I had if it meant we could be together. I wanted her. I needed her. And I hoped she wanted to be mine.

  Chapter 31

  Isabella

  These last two months had been a turning point in my life, and I was forever grateful for it. I was true to my word. I tore that damned villa down brick by brick and with it, the pain and suffering Nathan inflicted on me. It was like a rebirth. I wanted it all gone, every single memory, each argument, and all the lies to be brought to rubble. I wanted it and any memory of Nathan to be erased, cleansed, from me so I could start over.

  The divorce settlement was quick and painless for the most part. Maya provided the proof of his infidelity to the courts from the night we caught him in my house with those—those women. He didn’t want anything from me in the settlement. No long, drawn-out court battles or alimony. I just wished it didn’t take six months for it to be finalized. I wanted to be done with him as soon as humanly possible. I’ll see you soon, he said to me in court before leaving with his lawyer. That was the last I’d seen him.

  I guessed that he planned to flee the country so he wasn’t implicated with Oliver in the accounting scandal they’d put on the Zinghai Ma Corporation. The sting was supposed to have happened last week, but we had to delay it since Nathan revealed his involvement in all this. The FBI needed to conduct further investigation.

  I would never have thought Nathan would go as far as posing as an accountant to plant false accounting and tax records on the Zinghai Ma Corporation books, then having Oliver notify the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division of the fraud they’d created to see to it that our business dealings with the corporation would crumble. The fact that someone as inept as Nathan had been capable of such a thing dumbfounded me. Luckily, with the help of Gaspard and his connections in China, the FBI was able to find the people Oliver and Nathan had bribed into planting the false documentation.

  The two working with him were Chinese nationals, and I didn’t even want to think of the punishment they received. This scandal was going to seriously affect the reputation of Aerial & Kam Cosmetics, particularly in China. As long as people knew the truth about what happened and those involved were held accountable, then I was confident we could bounce back from this. Dante’s backing would help with the Asian market we’d just entered.

  Nathan had me jumping through so many hoops and dealing with so much emotional stress that I’d failed to see what Oliver was up to. I should have been keeping a closer eye on our finances. Juggling multiple tasks almost cost me everything. Nathan almost cost me everything. I should have appointed a COO years ago before expanding into the Asian market.

  Maya had done such an excellent job of identifying the fraud that I decided to make her the permanent COO. I guessed it was true that one should keep a closer eye on their friends than their enemies. Oliver had been with me just as long as Maya and I would never have thought he would betray me like this.

  In retrospect, I should thank them. If it weren’t for their idiotic plan, the partnership with the Zinghai Ma Corporation would have gone through successfully, and I would never have met Dante. I hadn’t seen him in almost two months. He’d been working with us through Gaspard. Each time I tried to get Dante to come to one of our business meetings in Beijing, Gaspard would inform me that he was busy with business in Europe.

  I hoped he wasn’t avoiding me after our last encounter at the Viceroy L’Ermitage. I was really starting to miss him. So much had happened since then, and I needed to tell him everything. I worried that I might have broken his heart when I’d confessed that I was still in love with my husband at the time. Whatever feelings I’d had for Nathan were long gone now. I just wished Dante would agree to meet me so I could tell him that.

  Maybe I’d come on too strong the last time we spoke at the hotel. I didn’t mean to pressure him into revealing his feelings for me that way, but he was driving me crazy. Why couldn’t he just be forthright instead of dropping little hints here and there?

  While he never actually said he loved me, I could see it in his eyes. The fact that I belonged to someone else must have torn him up inside. I could imagine how he felt, which was why I needed to speak to him as soon as I could. Gaspard had told me Dante would come and see me when I was ready. Not sure what that meant, but I hoped it was soon.

  “Isabella, the agents from the FBI are waiting downstairs,” said our company attorney over the intercom. We were just a single floor up from the lobby in our building, and Oliver was in his office, oblivious to what we were planning. I nodded to Maya so she could escort Oliver into the meeting room with us. Maya smiled and left for his office. She wanted this just as much as I did. Seeing the look in his eyes when the Feds put him in handcuffs was one thing I needed.

  I wanted to see them perp-walk his ass out of this building so he could gaze at each person whose life he was going to destroy. All the lives he would have ruined would be staring him in the face. He needed to be shamed. I turned my gaze down the hallway through the glass door of our meeting room. Our attorney was by the door with several FBI agents. It was time.

  “Isabella!” shouted Maya. I stood up and rushed out of the meeting room.

  “What is it?”

  “Oliver must have seen the agents coming down the hallway from the elevator lobby, because he took off running. I walked into his office right before he jumped out the window. He landed on a car and started limping away as fast as he could down Fourth Avenue. The bastard had the nerve to flip me off before running,” she said. I ran into Oliver’s office, as did the agents. We peered out the window, but he was already gone.

  “That coward,” I mumbled to myself.

  The head agent whispered something into a tiny microphone attached to her collar and held her earpiece in with her index finger. She looked up at me and smiled. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Williams. We got him. We have agents on the ground in cases like this. We also picked up your husband.”

  “It’s Ms. Kam, and he’s my ex-husband,” I said swiftly.

  “Yes, of course. Nathan was at Oliver’s house with his wife. Thank you for your cooperation. The DA will be in touch once the trial proceeds. You may have to testify.”

  I couldn’t believe Nathan would be dumb enough to stay at Nathan’s house with everything closing in on him. What was I thinking when I married him?

  “I’ll do so gladly,” I said. Our attorney escorted them out and our admin staff handed them all the documents they’d requested for the case.

  “I still can’t believe that bastard had the nerve to flip me off,” said Maya.

  “I’m pretty sure he knew we were on to him once we asked for all the financial records dating back to 2015,” said Gaspard. “He got defensive when we asked for them, even though it was at your request, Isabella. Right then I knew something was off. That’s what led us to start digging, and I’m glad we did.”

 
Maya looked at Gaspard, slightly stunned. “I didn’t know you were here,” she said.

  “You thought I was going to miss this? Oliver’s been a dick to me since day one.” Maya gave him a slight grin.

  “Gaspard.” I approached him. “Have—have you heard from Dante?”

  “That’s the real reason I came here. Dante wants to see you. If it’s all right, I can take you to him now.”

  My heart sped. “Yes, please. Maya, you can handle things here, right?”

  “Yes, of course. Oh, and there’s something I need to tell you before you go. Remember the night we confronted Nathan, and you asked me how I knew you were going to your house and I sort of evaded your question?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, it’s because Dante told me. He knew everything, and he asked me to try and calm you down before you got there.”

  “How could Dante have known?”

  “I think it’s best for him to tell you that. He said he wanted to be the one to tell you everything.”

  “Tell me what? What the hell’s going on?”

  “Isabella, it’s not what you think. He’s the good guy in this, trust me,” she said. My excitement had now turned into suspicion. How could he have known anything about this? We left the office, and Gaspard escorted me to his car. I didn’t say a word the whole trip. I just sat back and stared out the window. I was racking my brain trying to understand what Dante had to do with Nathan and Valentina. Looking around, I started to notice this area was familiar to me. Why were we going back to my old neighborhood?

  “Gaspard, where are we going?”

  “To see Dante.”

  “Does Dante live around here?”

  “Yes,” he said without elaborating.

  He was giving me half-assed answers, and I wished he would be more forthcoming. We drove past the space where my old villa used to be and on to the next one. Dante was standing in the front yard in gym clothes. Gaspard pulled into the driveway, where Dante opened the passenger door for me. I looked around, and I could see the empty lot that used to be my old place in clear view from here.