e sidewalk, her thin cashmere dress offering little protection. A group of tourists stared at he

onto the pavement at her feet, and spoke in a flat, bored tone. "Mr. Sterling advises

from the ground, her nails digging into the soft leather. The stinging p

ror from her bag. The sight of her reflection-the swollen, discolored skin

l she had molded and controlled for years had vanished. I

e dialed her mother, Meredith. The first step was damage control. She h

l sob. "Mother," she choked out. "It's Aria... she's gone completely insan

She had only slept for a few hours, but it was the deepest, most restorative sleep she'd ha

iling to her mid-thighs. She padded silently out of the bedroom and dow

saw him sitting at his massive desk, his back to h

e laptop's speakers. "The Carlisle team is in a panic. Th

d. He was already fighting for her. The feeling of being so t

t just how far tha

he pushed the door

air, stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened in shock. No one, ab

he saw her. He saw her standing there, barefoot, wearing nothing but his shirt, her

s on the call, he hit the mute button. He held out a hand to he

the desk, perched on the arm of his chair, and then slid smoothly into his lap. She wrap

rest on her lower back, holding her in place. His eyes, dark and turbulent, searched h

, where the frozen faces of his executive team stared back in stunned silence. "Oh. A

tightened around her like a steel ban

ver and snapped the laptop shut,

ivocal. Nothing was m

oulder, her fingers toying with the top button of his shirt. "Would you be

gainst her temple. "Angry?" he murmured, his voice laced with a dark amuseme

l confirmation. She now wielded the sing

where Blair was still fuming. The window rolled down, re

lled away, she looked up at the towering glass facade of Julian's building. A vow of pure hatred f

that you're awake," he said, his voice a low purr, "there's something I w

her mind already racing, planning he

city, painting the sky in fiery shades of o

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