phone, a sound so full of cynical am

e was a slow, deliberate drawl. "I have a terri

her. She forced her voice to remain steady. "You

est of the words out. "You said you ne

, so long that Amelia thought he was about to hang up. She could h

of all its earlier playfulness.

e are

wered automatically, her voice barely

. "Stay right there.

d into silence

" he stated, his tone leaving no room for a

ne wen

lete blank. It had been an act of pure, desperate impulse, a last-ditch effort to prove to h

r. Her first instinct was to run, to hail a cab an

concern for Kamila. The thought of returning to that life, of waiting f

and forced herself to stand straigh

poration building, Kayson was pacing his offic

ent Amel

ation was an emergency. I'l

ith a stark red exclamati

was a network issue. He

mples, a familiar gesture of f

is ear: "The user you are cal

sual, coursed through him. Amelia never did this. Sh

one than usual, but a tantrum nonetheless. He'd le

ed up to the curb in front of Amelia, it

ong leg, encased in impeccabl

han she remembered from the gala, with dark hair and eyes the c

above the door: City Marriage Bureau. A slow, predatory

ing over her from head to toe as if he

ok a half-step back, fe

d up. He extended a hand towards her

ID and documents, fu