ora

ss crumpled on the floor, then back

rs you took," I said, my voice devoi

er the money. He had not expected me to simply let it go. A flicker of greedy re

t, then?" he ask

estate on Long

is heritage, the symbol of the old‑money status his family clung to. It wa

at's my family's ancestral home. I

erey? Or is it the over‑leveraged asset you mortgaged to the h

y guarded secret, the one that proved his image as a brilliant entrepreneur was a complete sh

now that?" he whisper

corner of your little empire-contacts I cultivated through the Pierce syndicate. Do you think y

t for it. A clean break. Or, I will convene a Family tribunal and present evidence of your theft from a Pierce‑affiliated trust. Y

legacy quietly, or he could lose everything, including

I saw genuine fear in his eyes. He was seeing the woman he had forg

ut of him. He sl

ike poison in his mouth. "You win. I'

enough to fix the Nolan Stone deal, and then somehow win it all back. Let him think that. In the Pierce co

o know if Jessie was worthy, if she could be molded into the right kind of wife. And he had the

ssentials: my personal documents, a few pieces of jewelry with sentimental value, and a handful of cloth

walked out of the bedroom

set, a ghost in his own home, surrounded by th

back. An hour later, I was standing in front of th

. My headquarters. The pl

e. First, I sent a t

t your p

n me. I took out the heavy platinum ring, the

It was a perfect fit. A cold, binding oath-one that would be recorded

ty, Jefferey was maki

Elenora... she's left me." He let that sink in before adding the bait. "There's so

no idea I was already playing an entirely different one-and that his move