Savage Intent

By Lisa Bonham

A shock tragedy causes a fragile heart to long for tender support and love with Amanda entering into an unknown territory of confusion and guilt.

She's surrounded by savage intent.

Amanda felt blank and devoid of emotions, sitting up straight on her hospital bed, awfully quiet. No one could exactly tell what was going through her head at the moment, and they didn't seem to be trying to find out. Still, the fear of the unknown appeared to be eating everyone up.

Who can she trust to tell her the truth with her best intentions in mind?

Her romance dreams have been shattered leaving her vulnerable to the whims of new enticing opportunities leading her, causing further turmoil and unfamiliar explorations.

Clashing grounds and new bonds are formed in this turn of events in the series as the Ellswoth billionaire empire attracts opportunists at the height of sadness, grief and joy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Bonham
• Release date: Apr 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215892497

Book preview

Chapter 1: The Awakening

Beep. Beep. Beep, beep .

Amanda Ellsworth felt frozen in time and place. The only thing that kept her grounded was the constant beeping she kept on hearing. The sound was well-known. She said it was so familiar that it felt oddly unfamiliar that she heard it as though it came from a distant place. It wasn't supposed to be so.

She's going to be fine.

I know... We...

Have the be... s... doctor...

Voices. She also had voices breezing in and out of her ears, but they all sounded far away and distorted. Even though some of the voices were familiar, Amanda couldn't grasp anything happening around her. Although she was standing still, she felt as though she was floating in thin air while several distorted things went on hovering around her in a world that was devoid of gravity.

Where was she? What was going on?

At times, weird questions like that popped up in her head. Still, whenever she came to, the beeping sound and that familiar smell told her that she was in a hospital. Her stiff body told her clearly that she wasn't the one in a doctor's gown administering treatment this time around. The tables had been turned on her.

What had happened? Why was she here?

Other times, she had these questions playing in her head as she drifted in and out of consciousness. There were times when she'd try to force her eyes open, but it always felt like she had something huge sitting on her eyelids, stopping them from opening. Amanda felt decapitated, and she didn't like it. She wanted out of all this.

It felt like years went by until Amanda could slowly pry her eyes open after several failed attempts. With heavy eyelids and blurred vision, she tried to look at the distorted images around her. Lots of white was the first thing her brain registered.

She's awake.

She heard a distant voice heightened in emotion, and then several images and hurried footsteps floated around her. It felt like all Amanda had to do was blink, and then she was in another scene entirely. She once tried to communicate with the images dressed in white robes, who she knew were doctors, but she couldn't bring out any words from her heavy mouth. The next thing and the first clear image Amanda saw was John sitting dejectedly on a single chair with his hands beneath his chin. Yeah, it had to be John. She could make out the slightly greying beards and sharp brown eyes fastened on her. His eyes on her gave her a certain chill, and Amanda couldn't remember why she felt that uneasy in his presence. All she knew was that she wanted Jacques there and no other person.

Amanda's eyes fluttered closed once again. By the time she opened them, it was easier, and everything around her seemed normal. She took her time looking around her. She knew instantly that she was in one of her father's new private hospital rooms since she was actively part of the design process. She overlooked the beeping monitor and spacious room and turned to the lounge area created to house the family. Amanda released a breath of relief when she saw the clump of red hair lying down in a ball on the couch.

Amanda tried to open her mouth to call to Mary. Mary must have sensed her awakening because she turned almost instantly and ran towards Amanda, plopping right into the single chair beside her.

You're awake, really awake. Mary's voice sounded overly excited and like the same one that had said the same thing when Amanda first opened her eyes.

Amanda tried to chuckle, but she ended up coughing as her throat felt parched. What happened, Mary?

Mary's mouth clamped shut as her green eyes went blurry with unshed tears. She shook her head, blinking back every tear as she told herself that she needed to be strong for Amanda, who was now looking at Mary with the strangest expression.

No way!

The last thing Amanda remembered before waking up here was the yacht party where she had met John. John! The sudden memory of John brought back several crazy images she wished hadn't played in her head back then. How could she have had those thoughts of another man when she loved Jacques?

I love you, Amanda.

Yeah, Jacques. She remembered him coming to the party. She recollected how excited she had felt when she felt his arms around her that night. Then she remembered him confessing his love for her and how happy she had been. She could recall how delighted they had been to leave the party and then the crazy act she had been putting up as they drove back home.

Amanda bit her lower lip hard, wishing she could hate herself for blaming Jacques for her failure. But that didn't end it all for her, as the next image that filled up her head was of Jacques' bloodied face resting on the steering wheel while his blue eyes looked back at her lifeless.

No way! She had to be mistaken. Yeah, that was it.

Amanda looked at Mary, whose head was now bent, and asked the question stuck at the back of her throat, Where is Jacques?

Mary's already pale skin