re Ave

sk of pain and terror. "What...

as ice. "I want to offer you a choice. You can either end up crippled an

the toe of my shoe. "Whatever sh

d with fear

ly, "I know about the money you skimmed from your boss

my past life, a piece of forgotten kn

om Todd's face. He k

he whispered, his voice

debit card linked to a hidden account my mother had left me. "That's your down payment.

specific, well-trafficked guest lounge, leave her on a

and the promise of wealth, Todd's resi

ead weight over his shoulder, and limp away toward

, then slipped away from the terrace through a side e

ld feel it immediately. All eyes were

Alpha heir and my fiancé. His hand

er scene from my past, playin

until they landed on my cousin, Finley Ave

l and demure, offered hi

the speakers, "on this joyous occasion, I

l over the

questing that the council dissolve m

s the ultimate public humiliation. A r

s-pitying, mocking, glee

my face a mask of serene indifference, as if

e back to Finley. "I am doing this because I hav

tares of the crowd, a shrill voic

so! A tainted woman like El

ny White, stepped forward, her face

lips. The second part of my enemies' trap, the one that had

, it wasn't a

a sprin