ick

legacy my father had left behind. I sat in the oppressive silence of the boardroom, stari

r explained, his tone carefully neutral. "Specifical

wasn't just a drunken Vegas mistake. The document detailed her as my lawful wife, but it was the clauses that made my blood run cold. There

ght. Someone had meticulously planned this. Someone had anticipated th

one, who was waiting quietly by the frosted glass door of

shop here in Chicago. No ties to anyone in our circle. No sudden offshore deposits, no suspicious wire tra

back to the hotel room-how her hands had shaken, how she had shoved my blank check back in my face with fierce indignation. My past had taught me the hard w

erhead. The air inside was warm, thick with the scent of damp earth, crushed eucalyptus, and blooming

up and saw me, the color instantly drained from her face. Her shoulders went rigid, her grip tightening on the floral shears.

tepping into the narrow space.

ack against the wooden

fath

genuine, unscripted confusion. "Garrick, I didn't even kno

twitches in her expression. I'd spent years reading tells

ng slightly but laced with a sudden, fierce defiance.

n my absolute certainty. My paranoia, forged by years of being a walking target,

uttered, vibrant space around us. "I don't want your money. I don't want your world, and I definitely don't want

s, a perfect mirror to my own. She wasn't holding out for a better pay

ouldn't bring myself to offer a direct apology, but I let the

silence. It was the first real conversation we'd had since waking up with

on the brass handle. I looked back at her, stand

my voice low. "Especially not anyone cl

a hole in my briefcase. I finally knew the truth about my new wife. She hadn't designed this tra

ced us down