"Ty Drago - Bitter Reflections" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drago Ty)

"But before I begin, I want to make something crystal clear to you." He turned toward her, a
cold expression on his face. "What I will tell you, you will not reveal to anyone."

"Of course," Loretta said quickly. "The doctor-patient privilege..."
"Spare me your ethics!" Benedict snapped. "I have no use for them. What I'm telling you is
simpler than that. If you talk, I will kill you. Is that clear?"

Loretta blinked. "Mr. Benedict..."

"IS THAT CLEAR?"
"Yes," she said.

Benedict nodded, the plastic cup shaking in his hands. He leaned back in the chair and
closed his eyes. "I remember little of my youth," he said softly. "I don't really consider that my
life began until I was eighteen, when I joined my father's company. Despite my age, I
exhibited a... proficiency for matters of business. My talents and enthusiasm were such that
after six months I took over the brunt of the day-to-day management duties, with my father
rendering the final decisions. Soon after, I began to understand what a poor tradesman my
father made. His... style of business was naive, incorporating a sense of fair play that, even
at the age of eighteen, I recognized as tragic and dangerous to the company's future. I
promised myself that, when I took over, things would change. Then, of course, a year later I
did take over."

Loretta looked up. "Yes, the accident. You were nineteen."
Benedict nodded, meeting her sympathetic gaze flatly. "There was no time for grief. I had a
business to run.

"Benedict Sportsman was only a small rifle factory back then. It took me ten years to build
the company up into a national competitor. It was another five before we received our first
defense contract. I let no one stand in my way. You do what you have to do in corporate
America, Dr. Capinelli. No retreat. No compromise. That's the philosophy upon which
Benedict Industries was built.
"And, until a couple of weeks ago, that philosophy had served me tirelessly. My position was
secure, untouchable. My control over my company and my world was absolute."

Benedict frowned and swallowed dryly.
"Then... ten days ago, everything changed. That morning, I awoke feeling elated, having just
completed the leveraged buy-out of a sporting goods chain. It was a small triumph, but its
former owner had put up a tremendous fight. It had been a satisfying victory.
"Anyway, I went into my bathroom to shower. A few minutes later I stood over the sink,
running a razor over my lathered face. It was part of my morning regiment, and I hardly
thought about it. Just shave and rinse the blade... shave and rinse the blade. Then, while my
thoughts were on the future of my new acquisition, I lowered my razor to rinse it. But when I
looked up at the mirror, there was something... wrong... with my reflection.

"I was still holding the razor under the running water, but the man in the mirror had brought
his up to his face. I stared at the image, astonished, but still it was several moments before I
really comprehended what I saw. In the meantime, the man in the mirror cut a path down his
cheek with the razor. Then, quite suddenly he stopped, and I recognized a terrible...
awareness in his eyes... my eyes. My reflection was no longer simply mirroring my gaze, but