The Master Of Deception's Richest Game

ing inches from Kellen Lawrence's hand. Kellen didn't reach for it immediately. He kept his hands folded in his lap, his knuckles pressing against e

ain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, blurring the manicured grounds of the Parker estate into a gray, impressionis

was bored. It was the tone of a man

and pulled out the check. He glanced at the number. Fifty thousand dollars. His heart rate didn't spike. It remained steady, a slow, rhythmic thud

to his eyes. He widened them, letting

he second syllable. "I don't understand. Have I do

e gesture was sharp, cutti

xt month. She needs to focus on her future. Her real future. We both know you aren't part of that eq

lders slump. He needed to look like a kicked puppy. Rich men love

" Kellen whispered. "It

ond document across the desk. It

You will not speak of Elyssa, you will not speak of this family, and you will certainly not speak of

he pen hovering over the signature line. He scanned the clauses upside down. Perpetual s

creating a jagged, pathetic scrawl. He

oor to the stud

nto the room-cold, funereal lilies. Elyssa Parker walked in. She moved silently, her feet making

d at Kellen, his eyes warni

ett said. "I'm

d to the window and stared out at the rain. Her reflection in the glas

her. He reached out a hand, letting it

r," Kellen

breathe. She was a statue. She acted a

is throat. A hars

, Mr. La

t time, memorizing the rigid line of her spine, not for sen

Elyssa," h

lked to the door, his steps heavy and slow. He paused at the threshold, looking back with a face fu

icked shut

im with oil-painted disdain. The butler, a man named Henderson who had once given Kellen a san

son," Hender

id, his voice still th

ugh his cheap suit jacket. The cold water ran down his neck. He walked down t

slowly swung open. Kellen stepped through. The gates clanged shut be

road, until the high hedges of the estat

sto

, replaced by a flat, bored neutrality. He wiped the rain from his forehead. He reached into his

. Available bal

t a happy smile. It was the sharp, jagged grin of a

ney," he

roxy," a TaskRabbit for the 1%. He needed the next gig lined up b

eeded. Urgent

ped 'A