she hurried into the hotel lobby. She kept her head low, the brim of her rain hat pulled down t
e once-glorious heiress, got marr
so beautiful and untouchable
erything. With her uncle in charge,
her parents' death a year ago, her life had become a cruel shadow of what it once was. Her uncle and grandmother had taken everything-her home, he
ial rights in the ancestral tomb-a privilege her uncle dan
er to meet him in. She knocked twice. The door opened quickly, and there he wa
and, her tone cold. "Ryan, you said you
hed. "Hazel, I lied. I j
turned to leave, but his
.elope w
ned, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Elope? You pro
. "I'm marrying her, yes, but only for my family's approval. Hazel, I
disgust. "You want me to be
were reasonable. "It's not uncommon. Men used to have wives and concubi
re. "Discreet?" she echoed, her voice dripping with
call me during the day, and I'll visit you whenever I can. If you get pregnant, we'll deal with it-quietly. Of course,
oice, low and cutting, sliced through h
ather marry that dog Michael than be with me? Don't fool
m free. "Michael may have nothing, but
d her again, his grip iron-tight as he pushed her towards
as he leaned closer. "I gave you everything once, Hazel. Now you owe me
st. "Ryan, stop this!" she cried, her voice t
down. "Michael is nothing but a dog in the Martinez F
table, ready to swing it. But before she could act, the sou
is head whipping toward the door. "I told you to wa
through the air like a blade. "They couldn't sto
black suit. His gloves gleamed, and his tie sat impeccably knotted. His strikingly handsome face was a mask of cold
ch
a predator ready to strike. His gaze flicked to Hazel, who lay disheveled on th
s voice cracking. "This... th
te. When he spoke, his voice was soft, yet it carried a weight that made the walls seem to s
ime in her life, she saw Ryan falter, his bravado crumbling under the weight of Michael's gaze.