Twisted Hearts, Billionaire's Game

y me, I will

o hang cold and ra

gh the fragile silence. Ch

ding gaze as it hooked on

lowed up in the huge

ther-bound books and soft

mp

was even possibl

arlotte responded calml

mp with h

is wheelchair, sett

ts-one gloved, the other b

that quickly made her fe

can be broken. People o

em-find

ath and set her wil

here to cheat anyone, Ri

rom this arrangement. I

o

ugh it was hard to

icism. "That rem

y, but no more, s

call with Richard had he

phors-mostly every phrase

Charlotte wasn't naive; s

. Yet, she couldn't aff

lness was broken

st." "Neither I need

to keep up your ha

her arms over he

planning? You've made i

ven't had the chan

chard's features wo

rious. "There's much yo

far bigger than the Hamil

ot a game fo

gaze squarely. "Th

ating me

d, an invisible ene

stead, he nodded to a sm

are the additional term

riginal

, her eyes drifti

ional

the contract we

in place

. Days had been spe

had signed, making sure s

s? Nobody said anyth

r her response, Ri

You'll do your part, an

e let the

ms mean?" she ask

ard and nudged the

"Read

were trembling a

ad. At first, the words b

But as the sentences ca

al

unless he gave the

locations he decided u

tions-her emails, her

rything m

ageous," she whi

ck to him. "I'm

dn't change a whi

nd by an agreement. You w

y it to

he papers down onto

wasn't part of the deal

, not a life o

ichard said cool

hat's the

her head around

. She had married into th

still had. But this...

oge

ed for this to ju

she asked again, softer

pic

down minutely; his

What I intend, Charlotte

variable's taken into con

quatio

ow, the weight of hi

t he did not trust her-th

e was playing, she h

ea of marriage?"

s. "Control every m

arriage, Charlo

er spine. War, that

nother soldier, another

emy," she whispe

for his benefit or, m

axed a fraction, b

n't act

wed had her, quite

lton estate in a haze of a

hard short; the conversat

ms" hanging

lation sounded holl

nly one who showed her s

wake the realization that

inery that kept greasing

pi

lax," Emma said

en. "You're so tightly

not a m

tter laugh, pluckin

you to say that. You're

sigh, lowering her

I know it feels like a l

ichard just... h

's in control of

cannot even speak to my

mis

, hesitation flick

d, the Hamiltons... we

st trying to

Charlotte sh

otection. It's

, placing a hand

viv

one-a warning, perhap

e words, that one seemed t

r? There are forces at pla

mi

you're not telli

ing fully t

r seat; she looked

to rest on Charlotte. "I

y place

" Charlotte im

ow what's

n answer, a figure a

rd was just standing th

es flickered from on

said-low, even,

othness, which brooked

with

ely to her feet, sho

ction, then beat a hasty

s alone. She stood, turnin

self for what

he returned, cr

ly over h

itions," he ret

one which ran chills up

why they ar

erfect," Charlo

red her eyes. "You don

ve

ed and for a moment

. But then he exhaled sl

t trust. It's

was again

er and over agai

are we surviving, Rich

trol literally ev

ething crossed Richa

lnerability. He spoke cl

"Those people who woul

harlotte. Those who would

ely to ge

to lurch beneath h

talkin

t the conditio

ed holding her gaze.

o