na's

ennington estate. It's a tactical decision. My clothes, my persona

ght in front of the main entrance, where Mr. Pennington usually parks his Bentley. When their

eps when they get out. Mrs. Pennin

ryone but her precious son. Mr. Pennington Sr. would have been silent, his mind cal

at me. "You will regret this, you hear me? You

cepting your 'arrangement'? That ship has sailed, sunk, a

nce gone. "This isn't just about Brown. Our businesses are i

th this, we will make sure your father's company is buried in so

. My father. He's a good man, but not a

You will call your lawyer," Mr. Pennington Sr. commands. "You will t

p clarity. This is their next move. I need to be two steps ahead. I remai

lk into the house. "I ne

to the master suite that I once shared with Brown. The room is cold and impersonal, l

oorway, watching me.

hout looking at him. "Ther

my phone. I send a text to my one tr

and coffee runs, but she's sharp, loyal, and owes me a debt. Most importantly, she's

mily financials. Club sentiment. K's background. And leverage your archi

munition. And I need to know what weaknesses my

in seconds. A single em

bly mine. The rest-the jewels, the designer clothes they

e door, right past Brown.

Penningtons are waiting

... proposal," I lie smoothly. "I need a night t

I walk out the door, loa

didn't come after me to keep me or insult me. I wa

ink much.And drive away from the Pennington

nterstate, the kind with flickering neon signs and bolted-down furnitur

ssons I learned being married into a cri

onto the lumpy bed. The adrenaline wears off, leaving me shaking and exhausted. I haven't won. I

mind racing through possibilities, stra

makes me jump, my heart

g," a muffle

There is no housekeepi