s polite but left no room for argument. She requested Diana's presence at a high-end

to hang up, but she knew she had no choice. Ref

the back. The room was quiet, smelling of roasted coffee beans

cashmere sweater that softened the hard lines of his should

from him, keeping her

ll talk. "Diana, I know your m

red at his hands resting on the ta

inued, his voice smooth and persuasive. "Staying in a

ut a thick document. He slid it across the

letters at the top read: D

well family will provide you with a compensation package. The number is far grea

ped his index finger a

s finger. Her breath hit

tched her face intensely, searching for the sp

ut not from greed. A cold, para

r Atkins, would skin her alive. She would be blamed for destroying the alliance that was s

n her father's eyes when he fo

ted her chin and looked Conway dead in the eye.

of genuine surprise crossed his face. He had

urrowing. "Do not tell me you h

h. "Of course not. But I am his leg

would never tell this dangerous man ho

. He could not comprehend why a woman would reject ten million

clusion. She was greedy. Ten million was not

is voice dropping an octave, laced wit

nded in suffo

ind hitting her face. Her mind raced. Why was

. He broke into her apartment. He was willing to pay ten million doll

ted need to utterly destroy Julian's life out of pure malice? Or was he so obsessed with absolute cont

eparate them. He wasn't just a dangerous patriarch; he was a megalomaniac driven by a twisted, suffocating need to orchestrate every breath taken within his family