uiet and gentle. She saw Chloe sitting up, her face pale b

me water, honey?"

her voice raspy. She reached for th

water sloshed over her fingers, turning the skin an angry red. She didn't make

e screen lit up with a name: Laura Van

pain through her incision. She cleared her throat and answered,

etness. "We were all so worried. When you didn't show up for the board meeting this morning, we

cy," Chloe stated flatly

Montgomery was extremely displeased with your unprofessionalism. Your absence nearly der

less laugh escaped Chloe's lips. The knuckles of the hand holding the phone turn

oe was done

calm. "Tell him not to bother. Just have your assistant type

of the line. Laura stammered, completely th

e hu

e deeper, more deliberate. The pain was a sharp, ground

eared. "I have an unusual request. I need

s of dizziness from the blood loss, Chloe logged into her personal ema

uld walk away with next to nothing. A small, one-time payment that wouldn't even cover a year's rent in a decent New Yo

her lips. He though

e address of one of New York's most exclusive real estate agencie

modern apartment in a discreet building, one that valued priv

ress Centurion Card. The "black card." It had no official spending limit. It was meant for family exp

il

he payment portal. She was not just putting a deposit on an a

ately. Chloe replied, her fingers flying across the keyboard, requesting the earlies

she opened a blank document. Th

nd devoid of any emotion. It was the

looked at Chloe, who was pale and clearly in pain, yet work

fork and began to eat the tasteless, lukewa

e battle against Julian Montgomery IV a

dustries stock ticker flashed green, showing a significant gain. And there he was. Julian. On

man who had left her to bleed out on the floor, and she felt

d switched off the TV, plun

ialed the one person she knew she c