s quarterly reports on a tablet. She was compiling a list of financi

rifted up from the gard

ey and Leo. He had just come home from work and was still in

lly and collapsing onto the grass. It was a cl

mask of concern. He knelt, his touch gentle as he examined her ankle. The

securely around his neck. As he gently set her down,

was a glance so quick, Francisco missed it entirely. She then turned that same gaze back to him, her lips curving into a slow,

Just a vast, cold emptiness. The scene below was patheti

he curtains, shut

e. Her fingers flew across the s

ey're desperate for capital to cover the initial outlay for the Seacrest

ill be contingent on one non-negotiable term. I require a truste

. She knew what was coming. She ty

"You. If you don't personally hand

their hand. Richard and Eleanor could sideline her, humi

she ty

smelled faintly of Kasey's cloying, floral perfume. He

words an explanation she hadn't asked for.

in a half-truth, an

he said, her voice cool and distant. "You should take go

s, a scene. This cold indifference was something new, something he di

egan, taking a

d looked at him, her eyes empt

quiet but carrying an immense wei

and dangerous. It wasn't just about his affair. I

is stomach. He had no answer. He didn't know that