Page 3 of Indecent Villain

I sense the tension in the room escalating as Tiberius's anger becomes palpable. I need to diffuse the situation before it escalates further. My hands feel sweaty and my mouth is dry, but I have to say something to calm Tiberius down.

"I don't want the house. He can have it." I rush the words out and bring the two men to silence. In truth, the house is the only home I’ve ever known, but I always planned to leave when I turned eighteen.

"What?" Tiberius shakes his head. "What did you say?"

I swallow hard, and say, "You can have the house." I turn my gaze to Mr. Fielding. "You can arrange that, right?"

“Actually”—the older man sighs—“nothing can be done until you turn twenty-one."

Tiberius releases a string of curse words, some of which raise my eyebrows in shock. As difficult as it is to ignore his strong presence, I turn away from him and give my full attention to Mr. Fielding. I need to concentrate.

"I'm assuming there is a clause about selling the house."

"It states that you must live in the house until you turn twenty-one, after which time, you can leave and pass on ownership. However, your father stipulated that ownership could only be passed to Tiberius Beckett."

"Let me get this straight. My father left me the house, yes?" He nods. "But I have to continue living here until I turn twenty-one, at which point he expects me to hand the house over to him." I point toward the beast of a man.

“That is correct.”

“Why didn’t he just leave the house to him in the first place? This doesn’t make any sense.” I get my unsteady legs under me and stand. “What about college? How will I go if I must live here?”

“That detail we will discuss at another time,” Tiberius says, calm once more. He takes out a piece of gum and moves it between his fingers. Is he trying to quit smoking?

“My father was afraid of you.” It takes courage, but I manage to hold his gaze. “Why would he make me your ward?”

“I’m the only one who would have you.”

“That’s not quite?—”

“Mr. Fielding,” snaps Tiberius. “Thank you for your time this morning. I will bring my niece into your office next week to sign the documents you have for her.” He ushers the lawyer from the room.

My refusal tojoin Tiberius for lunch has garnered his anger once more. The man takes my arm and drags me into the formal dining room, where he pushes me into a chair beside the one at the head of the table, which he takes.

“You need to eat.” His large hands tighten around his cutlery. “You’ve lost weight since the last time I saw you.”

In truth, I am hungry. The food in front of me looks more appetizing than anything Martha has prepared since my parents died.

“Hmm,” I mutter as I straighten in the chair and start to eat. Tiberius watches me with a calculated look on his face as he continues eating.

The food is pleasant, which puts me at ease and leads me to ask, “Will you be moving in?”

He nods.

“Good. At least we’ll get something edible.”

He pauses with a fork of beef near his lips. “Explain that comment.” He places his knife and fork on the plate and sits back, his gaze unwavering.

“Since my parents died, the food hasn’t been good.” I sigh. “I’m not allowed in the kitchen to make my own, so it’s no wonder that I’ve lost weight. I hate tuna, which Martha serves me on crackers for lunch daily.”

“I shudder at the thought,” he says. In his next breath, he shouts, “Martha!”

The woman who hates me comes dashing into the room. “Sir?”

My cheeks flush hotly, and I silently plead that he won’t drop me in it with her. Tiberius narrows his eyes on my face, and his jaw twitches.

“I will be moving into the house later today, and I expect breakfast and dinner served in this room with my niece daily, unless otherwise stated. There will be no tuna and crackers.” He pauses for a moment, holding her full attention. “There will also be no seafood put on the table. Ever.”

Martha shoots me a look of hatred before she says, “Yes, sir.”

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