Diamonds are ForeverA Diamond Magnate Novel
Charmaine Pauls
Published by Charmaine Pauls
Montpellier, 34090, France
www.charmainepauls.com
Published in France
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Copyright © 2020 by Charmaine Pauls
All rights reserved.
Photography by Wander Aguiar Photography LLC
Cover models Rodiney Santiago & Dina Auneau
Cover design by Simply Defined Art
ISBN: 978-2-491833-03-9 (eBook)
ISBN: 979-8-669930-48-6 (Print)
Created with Vellum
Contents
Foreword
Previously in Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2)
Diamonds are Forever
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue (Zoe)
Bonus Epilogue (Lina)
Afterword
Also by Charmaine Pauls
Book Blurbs
About the Author
Foreword
Diamonds are Forever is Book 3 in the Diamonds are Forever Trilogy and concludes the series. Diamonds in the Dust (Book 1) and Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2) must be read first to follow the story.
Read Diamonds in the Dust (Book 1)
Read Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2)
Previously in Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2)
A Short Summary
Maxime rescues Zoe from her jump off a cliff into the sea, acknowledging that she elicits fear he’d never felt before—the fear of losing her. Their explosive physical relationship slowly morphs into something deeper. Overbearingly possessive, Maxime makes a point of showing the whole of France that Zoe belongs to him. He takes her out in public frequently, leaving no doubt that Zoe is his.
Living in a foreign country with no alliances continues to be difficult. Zoe takes up learning French. Maxime’s ex-lover and housekeeper, Francine, is resentful of Zoe’s presence. A battle of wills ensues between the women when Francine spitefully throws out the granulated sugar, forcing Zoe to follow the French custom of using cubes.
In an effort to relieve the boredom resulting from keeping her captive, Maxime offers Zoe a sewing machine and her dream—to study clothing design at a prestigious school in Marseille. He keeps her in the dark about securing her entry via his position, making her believe she won her place in the school on her own merit. In an environment where competition is steep, Zoe’s unfair selection doesn’t win her any friends with her classmates or tutors.
Maxime’s manipulation knows no end. In order to make Zoe feel less lonely, he instructs his cousin, Sylvie, to befriend her. The women start a friendship in which Sylvie not only wins Zoe’s trust, but also convinces her, on Maxime’s order, to give Maxime a chance despite their unconventional relationship.
The fragile hope of happiness shatters when Zoe discovers Maxime’s deceit. Overcome with disappointment, she confronts Maxime during a formal dinner. On the same night, Maxime and Zoe are attacked. One of the guards is killed. Maxime goes after their attackers. Before he kills the mercenary, the man confesses he was hired to kill Zoe. Maxime made a crucial error in showing the world how much she means to him. Unknowingly, he’d shown his enemies that Zoe is his weakness. Her life is forever endangered.
After taking out the men responsible for the attack, Maxime finds Zoe in a state of shock. He finally gives in, telling her the reason for her kidnapping and also that he has no intention of ever sending her home. Trapped with no money, no passport, no friends, no phone or computer, and no means of escape, Zoe continues to write to Damian, but receives no letters in return.
During the difficult year that follows, Zoe gives the life she can’t change her best shot. As she falls deeper into their relationship, she starts to need more than physical affection, but Maxime is incapable of returning her feelings. A certified psychopath, he’s emotionally detached. Despite it all, they somehow manage to make their warped relationship work. When Zoe fails her school year after a disastrous fashion show, Maxime is there to support her.
Zoe’s fall is complete. She’s under her kidnapper’s spell, seduced by his kindness and lust. Just when Zoe believes they’ve finally reached a renewed level of happiness, her world once more comes crashing down when she learns about Maxime’s betrothal to the daughter of an Italian mafia boss to force an alliance between the families.
Maxime reassures Zoe that nothing between them has to change. The upcoming marriage is a business deal. When Zoe begs him to set her free for the sake of his future wife and herself, he refuses. As his wife will move into his house after the wedding, Zoe is moved to a luxurious apartment Maxime had designed especially for her. Vowing to never be a cheater, Zoe refuses Maxime’s advances. Maxime continues to shower her with kindness and patience. He vouches to give her time to grow used to the idea, but swears he’d never let her go.
Zoe tricks a guard into taking her back to Maxime’s house while he isn’t home to look for her passport and discovers her unsent letters to Damian. After drugging Maxime, she steals his phone and manages to contact Damian, learning to her shock that he’d been released from prison early, more than a year ago—another fact Maxime omitted. With Damian’s help, Zoe manages to escape and return to South Africa, leaving not only Maxime, but also her heart behind.
Diamonds are Forever
Book 3
Diamonds are Forever Trilogy
A Diamond Magnate Novel
by
Charmaine Pauls
Preface
One dark day, a little girl hid in a broom closet and buried her
