midate. Dark wood panels covered the walls. The desk between them was massive. While waiting for him to look up, her sharp eyes caught the edge of a financ

pen between his long fingers. He spun it slowly. H

him. She did not lower her

f papers from the corner of his desk. He threw the file acros

ly the same," Evertt said. His voice was flat. "Two

ges anything. If you end up pregnant from that little stunt, you will not use a ch

r fingertips. She scanned the pages quickly. She saw the strict non-disclosure cla

it back toward the center of the desk. "I completely agree to t

urprise crossed his face. He had expected tears

r voice steady. "I want to cha

ep disgust. "There it is," he sneered. "The real reason you are sitting

's stock has been unstable this week. I saw the financial paper on your desk. If a massive scandal about your marriage falling apart hits

ross from him. She looked the same, but the way she spoke w

s over his chest. The fabric of his suit pulled

gers. She stated a number. It was an astronomical

o her face. But he knew she was right. To the Barton family, that amount of money was nothing. It wa

ed his hands flat on the desk.

nodded

, you will behave perfectly. You will attend every public relations event the family requires. You will s

consider it a job. You pay me, I do the

he way she reduced their marriage to a simple business transaction. He

dard non-disclosure and settlement

oom became heavy. Neither of them spoke. Evertt stared

d the templates on the desk. Evertt dictated the specific financial terms with sharp, clipped words while the lawyer rapidly fill

aggressive, sharp strokes. H

nt. She simply signed her name at the bottom. The scratc

. His frown deepened. She wa

p. She smoothed the front of her si

ooked back over her shoulder. "Make sure the first installment

cles in his neck stood out. "G

d the knob, walked out of the study, an

s tie, pulling the silk knot down roughly. He stood up and walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window. He looked out over the m