e leather chair beh
no tears. Crying was a biological response to pain, and rig
hone and connecte
ank transfer receipts, and the DNA repor
cent, I unplugged the USB, wiped the syst
legs felt com
ropped to my knees and reached under the bottom shelf, pres
t a dustyd. Resting on a bed of faded velv
en I walked away from the Montgomery family fi
ead phone into
Memories of my grandfather's furious face flashed behind my eyes. He
ckered to life
internal secure line. A nu
time before a
eaking." The elderly lawyer's
am," I
through the speaker. "Miss Har
indow at the darkening sky. "
voice trembling with suppressed excitemen
f I come back, the board will demand I fulfill th
confirmed. "The fam
urrent candid
his aggressive overseas expansion plans. They are demanding a strategic marriage with the historically grounded Mon
re Clay
a ghost, a ruthless predator in the financial world. And
red. "I want an informal m
edule is locked down months in
y's leverage. Get me an invitation to
ing back to the ruthless efficiency of a M
ung
in the tin and shoved it i
and straight into the maste
irts. Cheap, unassuming dresses I had bought to make Barrett feel
ense disgust
ic snapped. I threw them onto the floor. I tore down the skirts, the blous
to the very bac
thick, blac
haute couture gown. It was a piece
nthouse chimed. The elec
echoed through the hallw
epped into the black velvet. The fabri
of the closet, holding a brown p
dead in h
his eyes dragged up my body, taking in the black
are you doing
't yell. I just looked at him like he was a
solute zero temperature in my
boardroom arrogance. He set the food down and took a step towar
im. His fingers
r, right where he had almost touche
ke Tom Ford,"
dropped to his side. "It's... someone in t
blink at the
m the vanity and walked past h
nic turning into anger. He grabbed my elbow. "
at his hand gr
," I wh
e as if my sk
id, repeating his
ont door and let it
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