yn

to pause on the bottom step. Low voices drifted

athy, calculated tease. "What if your wife wakes

watched from the shadows as his hands roamed lower on her waist, pulling her f

the expensive leather couch,

rately letting my foot crea

e with a perfectly rehearsed look of innocence. "Oh, Karyn! I'm so sorry," she stamm

re. "Yes, exactly. She just slipped." He looked at me, puffing out his chest to

me," I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "Tak

way, leaving the sterile, picture-perfect suburb behind. I headed for the edge of

fee and burnt bacon. The gritty, honest atmosphere was

Wearing a practical dark trench coat, she pushed a thick st

f the bitter black coffee. My eyes fell on the bri

nger on my behalf. "The joint account is empty. They maxed out every card and t

ertips tracing the shocking figures. A grim

ed, watching my placid face. "They

ry at people you care about, Brianna. For a family of bankrup

ighest level of security isolation activated. As of eight a.m. tomorrow, ensure the

ed out her encrypted tablet, her fingers flying acro

p. "The show's about to start. Be ready to

head, the public phone-the one Brandon knew-vibrated on my pa

olute authority of their crumbling empire, I let out a

n addressing a disappointing subject. "We are having afternoon tea at the main house. Do come over. Th

ose entire legacy was currently being kept afloat by my mo

ng her hypocrisy. "Alright. I have some

tain proper decorum in front of Ivey. You will

t Brandon hated because it was "too loud." Turning the key, I let the V8 engi

erstate toward the Prince family's ancestral home. It was a his

gravel driveway of the main house, kicking up

oots clicking a sharp, aggressive rhythm

I immediately saw the setup. It was

together on the expensive leather sofas, sipping tea from delicate por

left for me, and no extra

of eyes fixed on me, filled with varying degr