Ruthless Billionaire: Your Pain is My Pleasure

To say Kimberly was pissed was an understatement. She was crazy furious. But as usual she maintain a calm look. Her dark hair bounced as she strutted out of her company, grey eyes sizzling with anger.

Lockwood Industries loomed tall in Austin. It was the number one dealer in fashion and had ruled the fashion world for years even before Kimberly had been old enough to take possession of it. Her parents had built it from scratch. With her mother's talent for illustration and her father's knack for business, they were indeed a force to be reckoned with. They had dictated the fashion in Texas and the entire United States, rising through the ranks faster than anyone could say catapult.

Kim had always been proud of her parents. Of the legacy, they laid down for her. Even after their deaths, she had not suffered. Her parents had ensured that should anything bad befall them, she would be well taken care of. Her grand-aunt helped run the company until she was eighteen and old enough to do so. Ever since, for six years, she had ruled her company with an iron fist, determined to protect and salvage her parent's legacy.

And she would be darned if she allowed a simpleton to try to ruin all those many years of hard work.

Ignoring the bowing heads of her Security guards and the fixed gazes of her workers, she stormed into the back seat of a silver Ford, her lips pressed together in displeasure.

"Please drive." She said

"Home Miss Lockwood?" Andrew asked and gulped when he met her eyes in the rearview mirror. She was an intimidating woman. Andrew had worked for her for a full year and he was the only chauffeur who had lasted that long. People often asked how he was able to survive that long but Andrew had learnt early. As long as he talked less and listened to her more, he got paid and didn't get screwed. That was it.

Shutting his mouth, he switched on the engine and slowly pulled out of the company's compound.

Kimberly fished out her phone and tapped the screen, Her clean sharp nails clicked against the screen severally.

"Mateo, send me the address of that man." She said as soon as the head of security picked up her call.

"Yes ma'am." He answered promptly.

Fixing her eyes on the window, she stared at the streets as Andrews drove past them. They were filled with humans who lingered and loitering. Some seem happy and others, she couldn't tell.

Wishing she was one of them for a moment, she thought as refocused her thoughts on her phone. Mateo's heavy breathing filtered through as he worked and she found that it irked her to no end.

"Please hurry up? She was trying her best to remain patient and calm, but seems like she'd be crossing her limit soon." She sniped and from the corner of her vision, she saw Andrew wince. "Please watch." She said, seeing a child was trying to cross the road inappropriately.

"Yes ma'am." He muttered.

Her phone tinged and Mateo's voice echoed through. "I've sent it ma-"

"Thanks."

She cut the call before he could reply, swiping open the text message that had just entered her phone.

"Jeremy Williams." She seethed as she read his address.

He would regret the day he had played her for a fool. The day he crossed paths with the lioness and hoped to go scot-free. Oh, she would make him suffer. Her eyes hardening into icicles, she spouted the address to Andrews who promptly followed her command.

And then she made one last call.

"Send the boys. We're going on a visit."

****

Thirty minutes later, a hefty man slammed down the door to a suburban house, paving the way for a determined Kimberly to enter.

"What the hell is this?!" A middle-aged man, with partly balding hair, jumped to his feet from the sofa he had been reclining on. His watery blue eyes watched as three severe-looking men tripped into his home and amidst them was none other than the deadly Kimberly Lockwood.

He gasped then swallowed his saliva, holding his head up high. Kimberly laughed at the wimp's pathetic attempt to look unaffected, dark eyes glaring as she walked to sit opposite him on his sofa.

"Well hello, Mr Williams." She greeted drily, crossing her leg over the other. The grey pencil dress she wore, framed her features elegantly making her look severe. "Fancy seeing you here."

"M...Miss Lockwood." He stuttered. "How...what do you want?"

"Let's cut the crap, shall we? I don't have time to waste and I would rather we get straight to the point."

Jeremy Williams glanced at the three me that came to stand at her side and gulped visibly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kimberly sighed. She should've known he would be this way. The man had carted millions away from the company right under her nose and she hadn't seen it coming. It pissed her off to no end.

"So we're going to play it this way aren't we?" She hummed and inclined her head towards him.

Two of the men left her side and stalked toward Jeremy. Terrified, he scrambled and tried to dash out the door. But one of the men caught him by his shirt's collar and threw him back onto the sofa. He landed with a yelp, gasping for air as the two men closed on him.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" He yelled as one of the men hoisted him up and smacked him across the face.

His screams of pain bounced off Kimberly's ears and she cleared her throat.

"Ready to talk Mr Williams? Or shall I give you a little more incentive?"

"I..." He wheezed. "I'm.sorry... Mis Lockwood-"

"Spare me the bull." She stated coldly, watching as he writhed under the crushing hand of her security. "Where the hell is my money?"

"Please... Please. I never meant to, I just-"

"Ah!" She scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she rose to her feet. In slow menacing steps, she stalked toward the quivering man. He was pushed to the ground and she watched him, her nose up in the air in disgust. Raising her heels she pressed the flat sole onto the man's head. "The thing about scum is this. They lie and cheat like the filth they are, but when caught, they always beg."

Leaning down until she could look him in the eye. "I'll ask one last time Mr Jeremy Williams. Where is my money?"

He blubbered and coughed then whispered. "A...A fixed deposit. To... be unlocked in two years. Please...I needed it for my daughter-"

For a moment she felt pity, or some sort of sympathy. But he didn't go through it the right way, yes she might be horrible, but not that horrible to turn down his request when it has to do with his daughter. She was going to leave the money for him. But first, she need thought him a lesson.

Giving the security men a pointed look she turned on her heels and walked out.

****

A loud crash resounded in Kimberly Lockwood's residence and screams of expletives exploded in air.

Kimberly stood in the dining room, wrapped in a bathing robe, her hair dripping water to the floor. Four maids hunched against the walls of the dining in fear, staring at their furious mistress.

"What is this?!" She asked and as usual they cowered in fear. "What is this... This thing in my shampoo?!"

One of the maids, brave enough to speak, peered at the mess on the floor and whimpered. "It's a lock of hair ma'am."

Kimberly nodded, laughing, a wild look in her eyes. Her head pounded mercilessly and she felt her brain turn to mush slowly. Everything spun too fast and sounded too loud and she ignored the urge to cover her ears. She knew she was being irrational. A part of her which was still sane warned and begged for her to come to her senses.

But Kimberly was done. She had the most hectic day at work, found out some useless worker of hers had stolen her money and put it in a freaking fixed deposit, which couldn't be unlocked until two years! Two fucking years!

And then she tried to sleep when she came back from work. Nightmares had plagued her and forced her to stay awake. Thinking a bath would help, she had gone to her bathroom only for her to see a lock of hair in her bathroom.

"What colour is this?" She bit out nastily, holding the cluster up for the maids to see. She was a long way away from them but they still shivered from her angry gaze.

"Blonde ma'am." The brave maid murmured.

"Good. You have eyes." She grinned maniacally. "Now make sure this doesn't repeat itself. "

A few minutes and all those drama later, Kimberly stumbled into her bedroom and flopped on her bed, feeling extremely exhausted. Her face hit the soft duvet and she felt the corner of her eyes burn. At least now that she was exhausted, she would have no choice but to sleep.

As the tendrils of sleep enveloped her, her mind floated and drifted towards certain deep black eyes and strong arms that had plagued her thoughts all day.