Captured by the Billionaire

Pursued Part 1

Anticipatory excitement sizzled through my system, and an almost giddy grin tugged at my lips. Resentment followed immediately. I shouldn't be excited about tonight, not considering the circumstances that brought me here.

I sighed and slowed my beat-up old Corolla to a stop in front of the huge, intricately crafted wrought iron gates. Despite my annoyance, the history nerd in me was bouncing up and down at the prospect of what lay beyond those gates: Cleary Plantation.

Not 'Cleary' Plantation, I corrected acerbically. Rutherford Plantation.

Just because the hotshot gazillionaire family had moved in fifteen years ago, that didn't mean the historic home really belonged to them. It belonged to the people of Litchfield. It was a deep part of their shared history, and it was at the root of their identity.

But the Clearys had come along and taken it for themselves, hiding the local treasure behind these beautiful gates and restricting access to only their elite, rich friends.

I jumped slightly when someone tapped on my window, jolting me out of my brooding. A man in a security uniform motioned in a bored, rote gesture, indicating that I needed to roll my window down.

I shook off my building irritation at the Cleary family. It wouldn't do me any favors tonight, especially considering the desperate circumstances that'd brought me here.

Look on the bright side, I encouraged myself. At least you'll get to see the plantation.

"ID?" the guard asked in a routine manner.

"Um, yeah." I fished my driver's license out of my purse and handed it to the man.

He glanced down at it and compared my details with the list attached to the clipboard in his hand.

"Mallory Williams?" he questioned, clearly not finding my name.

"I'm with the catering company," I explained, indicating the Carly's Catering logo on my white polo shirt. My role should have been made obvious by my attire. The real guests at this party would be decked out in ball gowns and tuxes.

The guard nodded and flipped a few pages, where he finally found my name and marked it off with a swipe of his yellow highlighter. He handed my ID back to me.

"Okay, Miss Williams, you can go on in."

The gates before me slowly eased open, admitting me to the exclusive estate. Even in the dimness of twilight, the grounds were impressive. The drive up to the house was lined with huge, ancient Live Oak trees. Gray, lacy Spanish moss dripped down from the elegantly curved branches that reached out over the road, creating a canopy of lush greenery that was illuminated by my headlights. Manicured lawns stretched out to either side, the gardens disappearing into the darkness.

I allowed myself a brief fantasy of what it might be like to live here, to have a life like Jake Cleary's, heir to the Cleary fortune: beautiful homes all over the world; a multi-billion dollar company handed to me by my father; and more money than God. Hell, the guy probably hadn't worked a day in his life until his father died last year. Even now, he probably just sat back and let the board of directors handle everything, throwing fancy parties at his leisure while other people looked after his fortune. He sure as hell never had to steam lattes for pretentious assholes to help pay his way through college.

I bet he's an entitled douchebag, I thought, assuring myself that a hard work ethic and gritty, real world experiences had built more strength of character than he would ever possess. It wasn't like me to be bitter, but current circumstances were less than ideal, and being surrounded by the opulence of Jake Cleary's cossetted life was undeniably irksome. I hadn't even gotten to the main house yet, and already I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the estate that had been handed to him on a silver platter. Did he even value the plantation's rich history?