in the heavy silence of the office. The air felt

tion, his voice hoarse.

fingers casually adjusting his cufflinks. The gesture was arrog

framed photo. It was Ashlie, smiling brightly

seemed to settle as he stared at the image. Warren couldn't decipher the look-it wasn't just coldness, but it wasn't

, his voice low, "doesn't dep

wned. "Her

d you think I bought half your com

t are your plans for Ashlie? If this is a

laugh. "Mr. Bradford, you give me too little

arren even more. If n

ing closer to the desk. "To provide a stable family e

ollars to find a nanny for his nephew? He must think I'm an absolute fool. This is a smokescreen, a ridiculous story to hide his real intentions. T

's clean, intelligent, and the Bradford upbringing wasn't entirel

sly. "As for how I treat her... that w

dread tighten in his s

ether she can play the role of a competent aunt. Whether she can... please me. If she per

she fails... Mr. Bradford, you know as well as I do th

l-being to the survival of the entire family. She

ny, but he had placed his daughter in a gil

g away from the despair on Warren

stopped. He glanced b

l. "Ashlie will be moving into the Long Islan

nse, he walked out, the doo

ad aged a decade in the last hour. He had sold his

vering over the keypad. He wanted to cal

and he slowly placed

e. He was the one who had pus