hand against her lower abdomen. With the high-risk suites barred to her, the sole concession she had m

protectively over her lower stomach, when a quiet, tense confr

le his family's trust attorney handed a crying young wom

e procedure," the attorney said smoothly, his voice devoid of emotion. "You know

embling fingers before being guided through the heavy

chill seep into her bones. She instinc

ng opportunist trying to trap him with an unborn c

mousine. When Beatrice discovered that Eliza's abusive adoptive father in the rust-belt hollow of Oakridge was preparing to auction her off to a violent local

r eyes, the phantom reek of stale bourbon and damp floorboards rising in her throat. She

g. Just a stolen piece of garbage some bastards from the East dumped on us for quick cash.

take. She had buried that confession deep, trading one form of servitude for three years of devo

directly to this col

im, Barrett had conceded three years ago, drafting an agreeme

ent aphrodisiac. After a night of chaotic intimacy, Barrett woke convinced that Eliza had colluded with

wish was to know that a great-grandchild would carry on the line. Desperate to grant

d made a reckless mistake: she slipped a fertility-enhanc

unrelenting physical routine. Yet with every passing dawn, he stood cold and motionless by the bedside until she s

estate following the funeral and never returned. He would rather deny his

t hesitate to deploy his legal machine to force an abortion, trea

coat around herself, walked out into the humi

t against the pedestrian bustle. They weren't looking for a taxi. One had an encrypted earpiece pressed to his collar, his eyes methodically scanning the curb, while the other checked an illuminated digi

curity apparatus or corporate surveillance. She had spent too long livin

sboro Bridge toward Long Island, Eliza pulled out her p

s end this. I

through her ribs. She braced herse

later, her phone chimed. His res

in

bsolute that it felt as though he had kept that sing

essed her lips together, tasting copper, and turned her gaze

rry Bay estate by the time the

missed the entire domestic staff. For half a year, Eliza maintained the sprawling property on her own-cook

ution agreement. Under the financial terms, she checked the box for a full waive

rmly on the petitioner's line, placed the documents inside a heavy manila

rated art piece, and the white gardenias in the terrace planters had been chosen to appea

earlier. The vintage Cartier sets, the Patek Philippe timepieces, and the deeds Beatrice had gifted her remained

tes, hailed an airport car service, and directed the driver towa