I
h. Ten minutes an
he was gone. Maya Sullivan was a lot of things, a brat, a chat
e told when to speak her vows. She spends every
rtains were snapping in the wind like white flags of surrende
s and felt a pull of admiration. She'd rather gamble on a
asked from the doorway.
on the boyfri
e heading toward
ed it, my voice flat. "I ha
undred-million-dollar bride is currently in a taxi, racing toward a Marriage Bureau with that pathetic boyfriend. I
l," I repeated, my eyes trackin
fool of the Blackwood name before the ink o
as I gripped the windowsill. "I knew she'd
ld no humor. "She is the leverage, Silas.
s fixed on the empty fire escape. "I'
are already digging into the docks, and the authorities are getting too close to the shipping manifests. The regulatory boards are looking
e of the
e perfect face for the family, innocent enough to make the public look the other way. We need a dis
asked, watching a loose piece of
ly. "They are watching us. One wrong move and the whole house of cards comes down. We need a
'd had enou
g through my protest
a girl with no shadow, Silas. Once she's a Blackwood, she's our silence. If she marries that boy tonight, the narrative d
s I looked out at the city, my eyes nar
nk I've been paying that little rat for the last three months? Liam is exactly where he needs t
am taking my father's money to lead her into a trap
d to me while taking a paycheck to do it and I'
ing like a final warning. "And Viktor? S
efore he co
ng away from the window.
arrived, my security team had already cleared the hall.
looking exhausted and unraveled, clutching the arm
t tighten. She tugged at him, her eyes darting toward the side exit, but she didn
rat didn
forehead. He didn't look at me with defiance. He didn't even
at the man she thought was her savior. She didn't know yet. She didn't realize she was standing
hoes the only sound in the room. Even with h
es are up, Maya
ches from hers. The soft scent of her jasmine perfume fille
iam, who was staring at his own shoes. "Li
r again. I reached out, my thumb catching
eetheart," I murmured, my thumb
r illusions. "Are we going to do this the easy way, or do I need
for her to ans
ound her waist, claiming what was
car. We have a
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