He Came Back to Collect

Chapter 006

Lora looked at the results again.

There was no mistaking the name at the top: Cornell Bateman. Next to it was a score of ninety-nine.

Ninety-nine? On Vardic and Latin?

Someone had to have made a mistake.

She took the papers from her assistant, ready to point it out. Instead, her expression changed as she read. By the time she reached the second page, she had a hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping.

Forty-nine out of fifty in Vardic. A perfect fifty in Latin.

She'd only just pulled those questions from the question bank. There was no way he could have seen them beforehand. Was he actually a language specialist?

She looked across the room at Cornell, who appeared to be bored out of his mind, and realized she had no idea what to make of him.

More urgently, she had no idea what to tell Maria.

She went through the answers again, searching for something she could mark down. A little creative grading might still solve the problem.

But his handwriting was neat, his reasoning clear, and his answers gave her nothing to work with. The runner-up had scored eighty. There was no plausible way to knock him out of first place.

At last, she gave up.

“Congratulations to Cornell Bateman, our highest-scoring candidate. His papers were in Vardic and Latin. To everyone else, thank you for your time. We've prepared a small gift for each of you. Please follow our staff on your way out.”

The room erupted in chatter. Candidates passed his papers around, their disappointment giving way to astonishment.

“Okay, fair enough. I can't compete with that.”

“He must be a linguist.”

“How many people in the country could do this? Ten, if that?”

As they continued marveling over his answers, Lora approached him with a strained smile.

“Please come with me, sir.”

“Sure thing, gorgeous.”

Cornell grinned, straightened his jacket, and followed her to Maria's office.

She knocked.

“Come in,” Maria said without looking up.

“Ms. Sten, we've selected your new assistant.”

Lora kept her eyes lowered, bracing herself.

“Oh? Good. I trust your judgment, Ms. Reinhart.” Maria rested her chin on her hand. “Who is it?”

The hesitation made her suspicious.

“It's... Cornell Bateman.”

“Cornell Bateman?”

Maria slammed her mouse down and leaned back in her chair.

“Lora, what happened? I asked you to give him special attention. Please tell me you didn't think I meant help him get the job.”

“No, Ms. Sten. Of course not. These are his papers. Please take a look.”

She hurriedly placed them on the desk.

Maria took them with an impatient sigh. A few seconds later, the irritation on her face gave way to disbelief.

“He almost got full marks? In Vardic and Latin?”

She spoke four foreign languages fluently and had a working knowledge of eight. That was an achievement she was proud of. Faced with these two papers, however, she'd have been grateful to score anything at all.

And he had come within a point of perfect.

How could that clueless hick have done this?

“Hello again. Looks like I'm your new assistant.”

Cornell strolled into the office, smiling as Maria looked up at him.

The thick carpet gave beneath his feet. Cool air from the vents stirred the sheer curtains, and beyond the tall windows, the busy streets of Bellwick City spread out below.

Overhead, an intricate crystal chandelier glittered like something from a private collection, scattering light across the beautiful woman sitting rigidly in her black leather chair.

“What do you want from me?” Maria demanded, striking the desk with her palm. “You think getting this job gives you a way into my life? I can have you thrown out with a word.”

“And you think this is the only way I can get close to you?” Cornell said easily. “I've got plenty of others.”

“You...”

She clenched her fists, too angry to finish.

Whatever he'd said to win over her grandfather, it had clearly worked. But she wasn't going to marry him. Nothing would persuade her to do that.

Unfortunately, she couldn't simply throw him out and forget about him, either. Her grandfather had been so insistent. For as long as he was still alive to see them together, she wanted him to have that peace of mind.

She closed her eyes, took a sip of coffee, and forced herself to think.

“Let's make a deal.”

Cornell waited.

“I'll have a contract drawn up. For three years, you pretend to be my husband. At the end of that time, I'll pay you fifteen million dollars.” She paused. “Make that thirty million. Agree now, and I'll give you four and a half million up front.”

She folded her arms, certain she had him.

He would get to play husband to the CEO of Sterling Group, a woman other men could only dream of marrying, and walk away with a fortune. She couldn't imagine a reason for him to refuse.

“No, thanks.” Cornell looked distinctly unimpressed. “Three years living with an ice queen like you? I might as well go back to prison.”

“What?”

For a moment, she thought she'd misheard.

He hadn't even considered it. Worse, he was looking at her as though she were the one who wasn't worth his time.

Some of the richest, most influential men in Bellwick City wanted to date her, and whether they so much as got a conversation depended on her mood.

This man had just turned her down.

“Get out.” She pointed to the door, her patience gone. “Get out of my office, you asshole.”

His smile widened.

“And if I don't?”

“Then I'll have you removed. Security!”

Five guards arrived within moments, carrying electric batons.

Cornell rubbed his chin and looked them over. All five were solidly built, with the bearing of former servicemen. He knew his own kind when he saw them, and he had no desire to hurt men who'd worn a uniform.

He'd go easy on them.

The team leader stepped forward.

“Come on, man. Walk out with us. Don't make this difficult.”

Cornell answered just as pleasantly.

“I'm Ms. Sten's new personal assistant. She's just having a little fun with me. You can go back to work.”

General Sten had believed in him when no one else would. If the old man had ordered him to walk into a fire, he'd have done it without a second thought.

Protecting Maria was the assignment, and he intended to carry it out. That meant staying close enough to spot trouble before it reached her.

“I'm not having fun, and I haven't agreed to hire you!” Maria snapped. “Stop talking to him and get him out.”

She'd never dealt with anyone so determined to ignore her. The man was impossible.

“Sorry about this,” the guard said.

He signaled to the others, and they moved in.

Cornell settled onto the black leather sofa, turning a silver lighter between his fingers. He flicked it open and struck a flame, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.

They really thought they could just grab the Reaper and drag him outside?

He tossed the lighter straight up.

The moment it left his hand, he pushed off and flipped forward, passing the first two guards before either could get hold of him. He landed behind them and caught both by the backs of their collars.

The other three were still coming. He kicked them down before they could close the distance.

The two men in his grip felt their collars tighten sharply around their necks. Then a tremendous force yanked them off their feet and sent them flying backward.