Money comes first before love

her like an old, familiar blanket. She clutched her notepad against her chest, her mind spinning with every deta

er back to reality. Fishing it out, she sa

ll Street?" Jack's gruff voice

ab. She slipped into the backseat, her voice steady but clippe

e he is. You didn't thin

Every question I asked, he turned it ba

You're not here to make friends, El

before she could re

er meeting with Nick. His sharp eyes, his calculated tone, the way he seemed to study her a

miles away from the gleaming towers of Manhattan, Elena collapsed onto th

ded, but human. Possible cracks

ker of vulnerability she thought she'd glimpsed in him. A moment whe

by another buzz. This time,

oday. Be careful where you dig.

, her heart hammering.

o respond. But before she could type a reply, the mes

n, a chill creeping up her sp

She hadn't planned to return so soon, but the mysterious message had ignited something in her-a mix of f

she approached the desk. "Ms. Monroe. Mr.

ther meeting. But she followed the receptionist withou

. The space was exactly what she'd imagined for a man like Nick Hastings-sleek, modern, and exuding

indow, his back to her, ha

Monroe," he said without