Page 1 of Bred By the Boss

Prologue

Connor

I shouldn’t be here.

There are about a billion things that need my attention. I barely have the time to do what I need to do as it is. But the second I laid eyes on her photograph, I knew I had to see her for myself. I just didn’t expect to end up in this neighborhood, considering how wealthy I know her father to be.

Makes sense that he would hide her somewhere no one would think to look.

As I make my way through the streets of the run-down neighborhood, I question the intel I received on my target’s whereabouts. It might make sense for Robert to hide her here where she wouldn’t be found, but the man I know wouldn’t get caught dead in a place like this. I feel the unevenness beneath my feet as I step on the cracked pavement, my nose wrinkling in disgust at the heavy scents of urban decay.

It brings back painful memories, ones I’d rather forget. It reminds me of the life I was forced to live after Robert’s betrayal, but it only spurs me on. My revenge is at stake. I can’t let it slip from my fingers just because of some discomfort.

I notice a few weary-eyed people lurking on the street corners watching me, questioning why someone in such a nice car woulddeign to drive through their neighborhood. I get it. I was in their shoes once. Feeling lost, abandoned, wary of the world. When the world gets you down, it really lays you low.

In my case, I was lucky. Even though Robert fucked me over, I was able to claw my way back up and get my life back and then some. I’ve never lost a fight, and the fight I had to endure for my survival was just the same. These people have probably never had the chance to fight, let alone try to thrive.

When I finally reach my destination, I can feel my pulse quicken. The distant sounds of shouting and sirens from emergency vehicles only adds to the eerie feeling this place has, but it doesn’t put me off. I’m determined to find her.

No one dares approach me as I stop my car and get out. This doesn’t surprise me. A guy like me doesn’t come to a place like this without clear reasons, even if no one else knows them. They probably think I’m with some crime organization or something. While that’s not the case, running a tech company doesn’t seem like it’d be that different. It’s a cutthroat industry. I learned that the hard way.

Nothing will stop me from seeing Robert’s secret daughter myself.

Maybe he thought hiding her from the world would protect her from people who wanted to hurt him. People like myself, with nothing but the desire to see justice enacted. I’m sure he didn’t expect someone from his past to keep up the search like this, but I would have kept looking until I took my last breath if that’s how long it took.

Even so, I can’t help the sneaking suspicion at the back of my head that the private investigator I hired to find her fed me the wrong information. Robert’s a wild card and he’s unpredictable,but this destitute neighborhood is just not his style. Did he really think hiding her in a place like this was wise?

I’m probably giving the man too much credit.

My private investigator is the best in the business, and he hasn’t given me a reason not to trust him, not yet at least, so I press forward.

The laundromat is dilapidated, like everything else around here. The neon sign above the door flickers, casting an eerie glow on the worn-out façade. I slip my phone out of my pocket to get a quick look at the girl’s photo one last time. I can feel my blood pressure rise as I think about how much I’ll enjoy using her for my plan.

The thrill of the hunt makes my head swim as I pocket my phone and start to walk up the sidewalk. When I look in the laundromat’s windows, I see that the place is packed with people doing their laundry, but I don’t see her. I was told she would be working today, but I don’t see the face that has become as familiar as my obsession with taking Robert down.

For the first time, I wonder if this is a fool’s chase. Did they somehow get word that I was looking? Did they catch wind of my plan? Has this all been for nothing before I got the chance to really set anything in motion?

Suddenly, a side door opens.

At the sight of my target, every drop of blood in my body begins to rush south, instantly hardening my cock. I stand rooted to the spot, ignoring my achingly hard erection as I watch the young woman walk into the large space.

There’s a tired smile on her plush lips, but it doesn’t quite meet her eyes. Her blond hair is tied up in a messy bun at the top of her head and I long to pull the hair elastic away, to tanglemy fingers around her locks and make her look at me. To take control of her in ways I’ve only dreamed of.

Noelle Peterson. Age twenty-two. Hard to locate, but hard to miss once you see her. The photos don’t do her justice.

She’s the daughter of my enemy, and the perfect target for enacting my revenge. Robert used me for his own ends and then dumped me on the street. It’s time to do the same, but not to him. No, it’s his daughter that I’ll use to take him down. The lust I feel will only make it that much sweeter.

It’s still surprising, however, that a cretin like Robert managed to have a daughter so beautiful. Then again, the man’s charming. That’s how he works. Men like him get what they want by being so disarmingly charming you forget who you’re talking to, so I’m sure that’s how he managed to woo her mother. Poor woman died a few years ago, according to my investigator. He didn’t have any more info about her, but I’m sure it’s been hard for Noelle, and maybe even Robert.

I push the little pang of curiosity down. Now’s not the time to start getting sentimental. I came here with the sole mission of confirming what I was told, and I’ve confirmed it.

Robert’s hiding his secret daughter in this run-down neighborhood. He has all the resources to stash her in a foreign country with the best security money can buy, but he’s hidden her here instead. In plain sight.

All the better for me. There’s no one around to protect his precious little girl from the dangers of the world. That means I get to pluck her from this place and use her. It’ll be easier than I could have ever imagined. Now I just have to wait for everything to fall into place.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see that I’ve got a message from my assistant, telling me I’m late for a meeting. Isend a quick text back to tell her that I’m on my way. When I look back up, through the grimy windows of the laundromat, I find Noelle staring right back at me.

Everything around us disappears.

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