hia
rtment building. The yellow cab pulled over with a
ind was somewhere else entirely. For the third time in ten minutes, I rummaged throu
e USB drive containing Ethan Blackwell
when my fingers finally closed
en counter, I would have bee
Blackwell meant mistakes weren't tole
ut the window. Every day, I told myself I should quit. E
es, I'd worked as a cleane
barely cover
without connections. Not without powerful family members. Not wit
lse fought
instead of leaving her untreated. At least Leo could stay in sch
idn't have a choice. The taxi finally pul
the city like a monument to wealth and
ed the pavement, a famil
phi
Of cour
le. He worked in accounting and had been flirting with me for
mazing toda
te smile. "Good
. "No, seriously
in days. I was drowning in debt. My mother was battling cancer. A
e last word I
tever you're doing," Emeka
usly. "I'll kee
d continue, my
stantly. Ethan Blackwell Com
d. Immediately. N
go," I sa
oked dis
h later?" "
usual way o
a response, I hurrie
stood alone inside the mirrored cabin a
Each second stretched endlessly.
No. Impossible. Nobody knew. Not even my mother. Not even Leo
open. I stepped onto the executive floor. T
stood outside Ethan's
Cold. Controlled. Just like a
gh the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, casting the city skyline
it
inued reviewing documents as though I weren't
in my ears. Finally, he set his pen down. His gray eye
phi
my name made my
r. Blac
ed a
or? That wasn't
ind of
ned unreadable. Busi
discussing qua
ed a
I'd heard him correctly. My
ha
wife," h
n it opened again. Nothing came o
rtain conditions regarding my inhe
ll unable to process
ore my thirtieth birthda
small. "You want me to
N
mediately. My puls
nto mine. "I want
t vanished. I could only stare at him. Surely this was s
't mar
I could stop them. His
u c
N
l be com
hough marriage were another busines
aid
dangerous flickered in his e
hit me like a physical blow. Ten million dollars. Enough to pay every hospital bill. En
together. "Think carefu
or the first time in my life, the solution to all my problems was si
he had just ma
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