Twelve Nights with the Ruthless Billionaire: His Christmas Captive

Seven

Omarion POV

I stood at the edge of the family cemetery, watching the wind push dry leaves across the granite plots. The private burial ground sat behind a row of hemlocks at the back of the estate, reserved for generations of Montgomerys.

In three days, it would mark a full year since Eliana died.

Standing in front of her headstone, I felt the same weight I'd carried the night the paramedics wheeled her out, the night I wasn't even in the country and had to watch it happen on my phone. Despite every available flight back home, the weather was too foggy to travel.

Our marriage hadn't been perfect. Eliana had her sudden mood drops, but we loved each other and worked through things. Nothing warned me she'd step off the second-floor balcony to her death.

This estate had belonged to my grandfather, and I'd spent most of my childhood running through these halls. But it was also where Eliana died. I hadn't slept under this roof since last December, choosing to stay in my penthouse near the company headquarters instead.

Coming back for these twelve days was entirely for Zara, but every hallway felt crowded with things I'd spent months trying to forget.

I thought about my reaction to Lisa at breakfast when she'd asked about Eliana out of concern for Zara, and I'd shut her down.

I shouldn't have. I was doing this for Zara, who didn't respond to anyone else, including the child psychologists, her nanny, and my mother, yet she'd taken to Lisa. I couldn't expect a schoolteacher to navigate my daughter's grief without context, but I couldn't bring myself to tell a stranger that the mother Zara missed had willingly walked away from us.

I turned from the grave, walked back to my car, and pulled out through the iron gates.

The thirty-minute drive into the Capitol gave me time to focus on the day ahead. The glass tower of Montgomery Holdings rose forty stories above the city center, taking up half a block.

Instead of pulling into my usual private garage space beneath the building and taking the executive elevator directly to the top, I parked near the main entrance and walked through the double glass doors of the lobby.

The morning chatter among the staff died down when I stepped inside. Security guards straightened, and clerks adjusted their files as I crossed the marble floor. A junior assistant leaning against the reception counter with her phone quickly shoved it into her pocket and straightened her jacket.

I walked past the front desks and boarded the elevator.

My desk was stacked with year-end acquisition files, budget approvals, and restructuring reports. I spent six hours working through the stack, signing off on documents to clear my schedule.

I hated the holiday season, from the artificial cheer to the lights hung across the city center, but I couldn't shut the company down early or force hundreds of employees to skip their time off. They'd call me a tyrant.

By six in the evening, my hands were stiff from typing, and my shoulders ached from hours at the desk. I gathered my coat, took the elevator down to the garage, and started the drive back toward the estate.

The dashboard screen lit up as my phone connected over Bluetooth, displaying my mother's name.

I pressed the steering wheel button to accept the call. "Yes, Mother?"

"Son, we need to finalize the arrangements for the end-of-year gala," she said, her voice crisp through the car speakers. "The board is expecting something exceptional this year."

I gripped the leather wheel tighter. "Why are we holding this party now? It can wait until after the new year."

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied. "Our investors expect the annual gala at the end of December. I know this week is difficult because of Eliana, but life goes on, Omarion. She made her choices, and the family business doesn't stop because of them."

"You're heartless, Mother."

"I'm practical," she snapped. "Someone in this family has to keep up appearances while you hide away in your office."

"Zara mentioned you today," I said. "She told me she hates you."

My mother scoffed. "Zara is five years old and spoiled rotten. She'll grow up and realize how the world works soon enough. Softness doesn't build empires or run corporations."

"Is there a reason you called, or did you just want to argue?"

"Beatrice is joining us at the estate for the holiday," she said smoothly. "She's staying for the week."

I nearly cut the wheel. "That woman isn't setting foot in my house."

"She is staying, Omarion. You need to wake up to reality regarding Beatrice and stop dodging the inevitable. She cleared her schedule specifically to spend time with us."

"I said no, Mother."

"We'll discuss it when I arrive," she said, then disconnected the call.

I pulled into the driveway of the estate as night fell and walked upstairs to the West Wing, heading toward Zara's sitting room to check on her before dinner. I stopped outside the door.

The room was lit by the glow of the television. Zara was curled up on the velvet sofa, her head resting against Lisa's side as a cartoon played quietly while Lisa seemed busy with her phone.

It was the exact posture Zara used to take with Eliana.

Lisa wore a satin nightdress with matching trousers. She'd leaned back against the armrest to give Zara room.

My groin tightened.

I hadn't felt physical desire for a woman in twelve months.

When I'd first met Lisa at the school weeks ago, she'd been wearing a cardigan and plain skirt, yet her face and body had caught my attention. Seeing her now in the dim light of my house sent heat through my blood.

There were plenty of attractive women in my social circle, including heiresses and models my mother constantly pushed into my orbit. But Lisa had a warmth and patience with my daughter that drew me in whether I wanted it to or not.

Zara shifted on the sofa, rubbing her eyes before looking toward the doorway.

"Daddy?"

Lisa turned, caught sight of me standing in the doorway, and scrambled to her feet. She pulled her top straight and backed away from the sofa.

My eyes moved down her body, and then back to her face.

"Startled much? You jumped like I caught you breaking the law."

Lisa pulled her satin top straight, her cheeks turning red in the TV's glow. "I apologize."

I could tell she was walking on eggshells around me because of how I'd shut her down at breakfast. I didn't bother trying to fix it. Instead, I stepped past her and leaned down to kiss Zara's forehead.

"How was your day?" I asked, brushing a stray lock of hair from my daughter's eyes. "Did you have fun with Miss Lisa?"

Zara nodded, her chin lifted. "I like Miss Lisa. I hate Patricia."

I almost laughed at Lisa's reaction. Those large hazel eyes always widened at the word hate.

Her dark curls were pinned back from her face, and I wondered how it would look loose down her back. Her skin held a warm golden tone, and a tiny mole beside her nose looked like a nose ring.

She had an innocent-looking face, but her body was unmistakably that of a grown woman, with a narrow waist and wide hips that oozed s****l appeal whether I wanted them to or not.

"Zara uses that word whenever she isn't comfortable around someone," I said to her. "Her therapist is already working on her vocabulary. Maybe you can use your magic to help her stop using it too."

Lisa sighed. "It's still a strong word for a five-year-old."

I couldn't help my gaze lingering on her nightwear. At the same time, I didn't want to seem like a f*****g pervert.

It wasn't that I'd sworn off women or chosen celibacy after Eliana died. I simply hadn't felt any pull toward anyone in a year. My body had remained indifferent, and now it was responding to my daughter's teacher.

It was time I dealt with that part of my life again.

I needed to leave before I said something that would make her more uncomfortable.

"Get some sleep, Zara," I said, stepping back toward the doorway. "Goodnight, Lisa."

I walked into the corridor and headed straight for my private suite.

Inside my bathroom, I turned the shower handle to cold and stepped beneath the stream. The water struck my chest and back as I braced a hand against the wet tile.

I stood beneath the spray, breathing through the chill and waiting for my body to settle.

It felt ridiculous, like being a teenager again, dragged around by hormones.

I closed my eyes and let the water run over my face. Desire filled my thoughts, and Lisa's face followed, along with a filthier imagination of grinding my erection against her plump ass.

Damn it.

I shook my head beneath the freezing water, refusing to attach any deeper meaning to it.