, his sunglasses now resting on the polished mahogany table. His deep gray

piece suit, was delivering his report. "The problem originated with

dly to the side, his face pale, sweat soaking the c

hythmic beat on the tabletop. Each ta

, but it carried the weight of absolute authority, "I,

..." Juste

e control. I've run a check on the girl, Journey Burch. A commu

ile the fine is pocket change for you, the law dictates that the initiator will face a lifelong deprivation of political rights, a per

take that hit. It would irreparably damage his campaign. Therefore, I've prepared a settlement agreement for the girl. One million dollars.

he report. For a fraction of a second, his expression

sed. She advises we handle this quickly, to avoid any impact on

Sterling, a flicker of ann

room's media wall lit up wit

lionaire Dane Beaumont has officially been matched! However, due to strict DDA conf

ed on the screen, representing the mystery wom

ad moved faster than he'd anticipated

d into a frenzy of flashing cameras and shouting reporters who w

t another random citizen exiting the registry, the reporter eagerly asked, "What's your take on the bre

nn Sterling?" another chimed in. "Do you t

k back, her m

large men in black suits pushed through the

ffering her a practiced, impersonal smile. Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he said, "

in the secluded booth of a nearby c

Sign it, agree to be the one who formally initiates the annulment ap

he number. One million dollars. It would solve ev

ment. She knew exactly what the law dictated for the person who filed the request: lifelong deprivation of political rights, a perman

ic, greedy fool whose entire future would be paralyze

ensing her hesitation. "Mr. Beaumont's partner wil

was gone from her sea-blue

d up the

disbelieving gaze,

her voice steady and clear, "t

unned Marcus Sullivan staring at the two

, his voice tight with ang

as flat. "I kn