underground parking garage of

s ached with

wheel, preparing to ba

rake pedal so hard the tires

lted directly into the ce

Reserved. Unauthorized

and-new, silver Aston Martin, t

started shak

essive way of punishing her for

nd parked in a dark visitor sp

vator, her heels clicking

doors opened

a black velvet garment bag hanging f

was another sic

off the handle and throw

ed ringing loud

howed her mothe

call, her voice sti

d not sa

ess hanging on you

ce was a sharp,

hand hovering ove

you talki

a dry, calcu

e his new family around at tha

ive strings to get Brook a seat at a hig

Croft, the heir to New York's m

e blood drain

m spun

mic absurdity wash over her. The very lie she had crafted to wound Damon had, by some cruel twist of fate, been made real b

am not a pawn for

er stomach churn

d not mi

ght, I will pull every cent of shadow fundin

ed her teet

ruthless tech titan who

p would di

i

he word tasting li

d the garment bag off the do

nthouse office of Vaughn Capita

uest list for a private room at

rinted clearly nex

Damon's hand cracked unde

er his fingers and dripp

she was just ly

s actually going to sit

ncel every video conf

his voice dan

Brook pulled the black

inst her chest, the fabric

in the mirror and fe

gressive red lipstick

f cold indifferenc

t of the lobby doors, her red-sol

t her phone t

f SUV rolled silently to a

indow in the back

ared in the shado

ck, sweeping over the expose

I am tak

elly demand that sent a vio