r Fro

signaled authority and consequence. He sat behind his massive mahogany desk, his silver hair impeccably combe

ce surprisingly gentle, "your mother has informed me

wn unwavering. "Yes,

with the weight of generations. "It's not a decision to be taken lightly. Our

strategic alliance, a merger of assets and influence. My father's unreleased songbook, a treasure trove of musical brilliance, was the crown jewel. Grandfather Harmon saw me not

aining in this marriage are far greater. For me. For my well-being." I looked him directly in the eye, unwilling to

unreadable. The silence stretched, thick and suffo

or. You have borne a great deal, quietly. Too quietly." He paused, then looked at Guy. "I will instruct my legal team to cooperate fully. You will have full a

I craved, but it was practical, decisive, and powerful. Braden's opinion, his hurt

rcom, "I believe it's time for lunch. You'll

wiches and fruit, my phone rang. It was Braden. Again. I hesitated, but Grandfather Harmon, with

ced with barely suppressed rage. "Mrs. Gable just told me you refus

h all these years; he had expected it. He had taken my efforts, my love, my care, as his due. He never liked my cooking, but he never actually sto

. The shock of his sheer entitlement, even aft

s voice, now devoid of its earlier warmth, boomed through the room. "Braden, you ungrateful imbecil

a frantic, high-pitched voice. "Braden, who is that? What's goin

aden stammered, clea

ght, Braden. And now you're complaining about lunch? Perhaps Miss Aguilar can rustle you

Harmon, I'd be happy to! Braden loves my vegan wraps. He always says Elin

y, by the woman he openly flaunted, twisted a fresh knife in the old wound. He had hated my cooking. All those years, all

very clear to both of you: Elinor Frost is still a Harmon. And if I hear one more word about either of you publicly humiliating her, there will be consequences you cannot i

ive click, then handed the phone back to me. "My apologies, Elinor,

so a deep cynicism. His "apology" felt less about my pain and more about maintaining the family's image, ab

t resolve. As I walked down the long corridor, I heard his assistant sa

a tired sigh. "He will, eve

late. I didn't care anymore. Braden probably wanted me gone now th

his world became all about VIP lounges and exclusive clubs. I remembered us laughing over mediocre lattes, planning our future, a future that now seemed impossibly naive. I even remembered joking, "One day, wh

re. Braden and Destany, walking into our coffee shop, hand in hand, their faces alight with a careless j

something into her ear. They looked utterly, undeniably besotted. The familiarity of

h the haze of my pain, pulling me ba

pushing my chair back. I needed t

he party. The room spun, the faces of Braden and Destany blurring into an indistinguishable ma

gripping my arm, steadying

eyes, usually so cold, widened in surprise as they landed on Eleanor's hand, still firmly on my arm. A flicker of some

blazing with a dangerous intensity. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded,

. This was going