rile and intimidating. Chloe stood beside her younger brother, Wyatt, w

there, looking grim in hi

Sterlings, they basically own half of Newport Bay. Our best bet here i

boy started it. He called him names, he pus

orld, that would matter. In this world, in front of people

ng in hushed, urgent tones when the sound of expensive leath

ed up, her gaze travelin

proaching. Beside him, a boy of about thirteen, with the

t noise of the school seemed to fa

ood ra

as J

up in yesterday morning. The man

on pieces. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and s

rprise. Just a flat, chilling calm, as if he had been expecting her all alon

ing, shot a venomous glare at

e to the approaching CEO and his son. In that instant, the wild, impossibl

eath. He wasn't just a lawyer in a schoolyard disp

esence sucking all the air out of the h

loe. His attention was fi

ooth and dangerous. "It seems this is you

iliation and anger warred inside Chloe, sending tremors through her body. T

pened, and a flustered-lookin

s no longer the lover who whispered her name in the dark. He was Julian Sterling, CEO, a shark in a boardroom,

r the way she always had when confronted by authority. But Wyatt was sitting right next to her, his knee bouncing with barely contained fear. He

he heard her voice

d a photo from her phone on the table, showing the dark bruises on Wyatt's arm. "

o burst out, jum

voice low but sharp. The tension betw

ipal, sweating under the pressure, suggest

hard she could feel it in her throat. She had just talked back to Julian Sterling. In a room full of peopl

Hay

tracks. It was cold, formal, and u

to talk

request. It

ning, then wisely steered Wyatt down the hall, leaving

as suddenly e

step toward he

, painted brick wall, trapping