hed in a white-knuckled grip. His face was ashen, his

ng! Jax is absolutely furious!" He muttered under his breath, "Mr. Sterling is already d

creaming. "This isn't a game, Marshall! You can't just swap out cast members the day before shoo

ng. "He's threatening to sue. He says h

a second, then placed the phone in her palm.

e calm and steady, cutting through

Who is this? Look, lady, I don't have time for games. T

Cecil said, her tone leaving no roo

re who you think you are. We don't need amateurs. We

command was silent but absolute. "Julian. The family has emergency re

at was the untouchable fund, the bedrock of the Marshall fortune. He nodded num

or this season. And the next." He took a deep breath and recited a string of numbers-an offshore account routing numbe

x's breathing seemed to stop

in Cecil's eyes. "And then there's the matter of publicity," he continued, his PR ins

ian could hear the click of a ke

mystery woman' is a cast member. The audience is obsessed. They want to know who she is. They w

e speaker. The sound of J

gns a liability waiver. If she gets hurt, if s

slumped onto the sofa, the phone slipping from his sweaty hand. He stared at Cecil,

was muttering to himself, his eyes darting around the room. "This is insane. This is comp

t him. She didn't say

n of the force she had used in the gallery, but it was enough. His lungs

id, her voice cold. "If you are late by even a second, I will show y

to scream. He wanted to fight. But the memory of the lightning, th

he door. She paused on the thres

phone. "I will not be wearing these cumbersome gowns." Julian nodded weakly, his mind already rac

, the door clicki

in his hands. He was trapped. He