Read Online Avowed (The Manipulation Trilogy Book 3) by Alicia Taylor, Natalie Townson - Free Book Online Page B

that is true. Is this really what Ella has believed these past three years? That I played her sister and hurt her on purpose? I might be a monster with blood on my hands but I never did any of it on purpose. I didn’t want to make the mistakes I did, but it happened.
    I need to make my beauty understand. She needs to know the truth. She has it all fucking wrong. Where she got these atrocious ideas is beyond me. 
    “Baby,” I whisper, trying to find the right words. “It didn’t happen like that. I never took your sister out Ella. Never .” I say with as much conviction as I can as I lift my eyes to hers, pleading with her to believe me. “She came to business dinners with me but that’s it.”
    Ella frowns at me and I watch as a million questions pass through her forest green eyes as she searches mine, looking for the truth. She swallows hard before finally speaking.
    “You didn’t have a relationship with her at all? Not even sex?” I shake my head no. “I don’t understand. Tell me everything from your perspective Damon because that’s not what Lydia thought. She worked for you and you fired her but she loved you.” Ella pauses, closing her eyes. “What did she do?” she finishes on a whisper, her breath hitching.  
    “She was shy at first but a damn good PA. Within days of her starting to work for me she had everything organised, and made my work life easier,” I tell her honestly. “I don’t know when lines got crossed in her mind, but she went from shy to flirty in a couple of weeks. Just innocent touches at first but it soon turned inappropriate. She started getting snippy with clients at meetings if they were female, and she would place her hands on me like she had a claim. I decided the best way to handle it was to pull her aside and let her know we had a professional relationship only. She took it well and for a week she seemed okay. She went back to working and acting professionally again.”
    I stop, trying to gather my thoughts on what happened. Ella sits quietly as she waits for me to continue. She’s concentrating on my words like they’re puzzle pieces she’s trying to fit together.
    “I’d catch her just standing at the door staring at me, and when I’d ask if she was okay she’d just walk away.” I frown, remembering the amount of times I caught her just watching me. It was fucking strange. “She sort of shut off for a few days, just staring into space a lot. It was like she wasn’t there in mind but was in body, but she snapped out of that and went right back to being friendly with a little flirt.”
    “When she started rubbing against me and being overly flirty again I decided to make myself seem unavailable, hoping she’d move on, but she didn’t. I’d been invited to a black and white ball but I wasn’t going to go. They bore the shit out of me. When Lydia began being inappropriate again I decided to go and take a friend to try and get her to back off. The next day she didn’t turn up at work. She went to see my mum and dad instead.” Ella gasps, bringing her hand up to her mouth in shock. Her eyes are wide with dread. I fucking hate stressing her out and I can see this is. 
    “Ella, are you sure you want to hear more?” She nods her head, not able to speak. I sigh as I bring my hands to her bump. “I was scared when my dad called to tell me she was there. I remember the fear I felt because Lydia’s mood changes were erratic in just a few weeks. Fear settled in my gut, eating away at me, as I raced to get there.” I stop, shaking my head. I didn’t think she’d ever hurt anyone but I shit myself at what she was doing there. She had no reason to be.
    “I knew the situation was worse when she tried telling my parents we were in love.” I look into Ella’s tear filled eyes. She places a compassionate hand on my cheek as she looks down at me. “I wasn’t sure what to do beauty. I didn’t want to involve the police and get her in trouble.”
    “Why?” she