Page 6 of The Tycoon's Diamond Demand

She was worried he wouldn’t, he could see it in her eyes. But she wouldn’t beg and he respected her for that. Maja rocked on her heels, then lifted her chin. ‘Goodbye, Jensen.’

It had been a long time since someone turned their back on him, even longer since anyone walked away before he was done. He was one of the most powerful men—if not the most powerful man—in the country, on the continent, with a vast multibillion fortune at his disposal. He dated A-list celebrities, prima ballet dancers, supermodels and sports stars. Although his relationships were brief, he called the shots. Conversations, dates, and sexual encounters happened on his schedule, not someone else’s.

He no longer allowed people, events or situations to unbalance him or upset him, nor did he permit people to dig under his skin. He refused to feel vulnerable or exposed. Vulnerability, mentally and emotionally, equalled weakness. Inadequacy, ineffectiveness and helplessness were not part of his emotional landscape.

Emotions ate away at his control. He didn’t understand, or tolerate, them, so he never indulged in them, ever. Anger was always tempered by reason, affection by an innate inclination to distrust people and the things they said. Sex was a biological impulse, and he didn’t have time to make convivial connections. The emptiness he sporadically experienced was a throwback to him once believing he needed his mum to acknowledge that he was hers, that she was proud to claim him, to feel whole. He was happy in his own company, content to be alone and he didn’t need anyone to validate his existence. He knew better than to expect, or want, that.

He was overthinking this, giving it too much energy.Noneof that mattered. He had what he craved, revenge, in his sights.

If Maja thought she was walking out on him again, she was wrong. That wasn’t something he’d allow. It was time for him to take control of this situation.

‘We’re not done, Maja,’ Jens said, his tone icily calm.

She stopped, and slowly turned around, frustration pulling her eyebrows together. ‘There’s nothing more to say, Jens.’

‘You promised me an explanation about the past,’ he reminded her. Not that it would change anything...he’d set his course and there would be no deviations.

Maja’s mouth moved and he knew a silent curse had passed over her lips. She’d clearly hoped he’d forgotten her earlier promise. He never forgot, and he didn’t forgive. They said the best revenge was to move on, to be happy, to flourish and to find inner peace.

Rubbish. Jens wanted none of that.

He looked at his watch ‘But that will have to be another time. I need to get back, my absence will be noticed.’

‘Don’t let me stop you,’ Maja muttered.

Feisty. Again, it was unexpected. ‘I expect to see you at my home, the Bentzen estate, tomorrow night. Be there at six.’

Her eyes widened in shock. Was she annoyed he’d made her sound as if she were a parcel, to be directed around at his whim? Or was she surprised that he lived in the mansion once owned by her maternal grandparents?

‘You own the Bentzen mansion?’ she demanded.

‘I do.’ The estate had come on the market a few years ago and, on hearing that Håkon planned to add the estate to his property portfolio, he’d swooped in, made an excellent offer and yanked it away. Håkon had been, it was reported, incandescently furious.

He’d never planned on living there but, having recalled Maja’s telling him how much she loved the sprawling nine-bedroomed house in the exclusive suburb, he’d thought he should, at the very least, inspect the property he’d purchased purely to annoy Håkon.

The tour hadn’t gone as expected, and he’d fallen in love with the house, its amazing views and extensive grounds. He now spent as much time as he could in Bergen and was in the process of moving his headquarters from Oslo to this pretty city so he could live in the house full-time.

‘When did you buy—?’ She shook her head and pursed her lips, and Jens knew she was trying to ignore her curiosity. ‘That’s not important. I have no intention of seeing you again.’

‘Be there or I’ll walk downstairs and tell everyone you are M J Slater. It won’t take the press long to join the dots. Your anonymity, which I suspect is very important to you, will instantly disappear.’

Fear and frustration tightened her mouth, and he knew he had her. He wasn’t sure why flying under the radar was so essential to her and it didn’t matter.

She sucked in a deep breath, shook her head and then her eyes narrowed. ‘You wouldn’t do that to me.’

That was where she was wrong. There was little he wouldn’t do to exact his revenge. Sacrificing her identity? He’d do it if he had to and not think twice about it. But not today.

Right now, just the threat was enough.

‘Be at the mansion at six,’ Jens repeated, keeping his expression impassive. He knew she was looking for an argument she could use, a way to wiggle out of this situation, but she was out of options. He held all the power, and she knew it.

‘Please don’t tell them who I am, Jens.’

He heard the tremor in her voice and steeled himself against it. Payback was all that mattered.

‘Then you know what you must do.’

Maja knew she had no choice but to meet Jens tonight. She’d spent the day trying to work out how to extricate herself, but he’d pushed her into a corner. Her only option was to make the six o’clock appointment and that was why she sat in a rental car a few yards away from that oh-so-familiar front door. She looked over the extensive gardens and sighed.

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