urton to invest in the gallery project,

tel air filling her lungs. "Paige, I need y

's voice vanished. "What's

t married. As soon as possible. It doesn't matter who. I j

e call had dropped. Then, Paige exploded. "Are you insane?! Ju

ls, the hospital's ultimatum, Branson's cruel betrayal. Her voice was stea

er a string of curses directed at Branson, her voice softened. "Jules,

ulia said. "I'm out of time, Paige.

oice heavy with resignation. "Okay. Let me make some calls. I

re," Ju

rward, not just drowning. She thought about the last three years, how she had slowly erased parts of herself to fit into Bran

e subject line was stark: "Potential Candidate-A." The body of the ema

open

few lines of text, as imp

ulian S

e:

: Corporat

family expectations. Financial support will b

d find. Impeccable background, but I've never met the guy. He's r

ad become a commodity, her hand in marriage up for th

reply: "Okay.

ess from her suitcase-her "interview" dress. She applied her makeup to look professional and composed

t and hushed, the air smelling of coffee and old money. She gave the

w. He was tall, his shoulders broad beneath a perfectly tailore

r approach

th caught in

severe. High cheekbones, a strong jaw, and eyes so dark and deep they seemed to pull her in. He radiated an aura of power