had left, the weight of her words echoing in his mind. "

sn't supposed to happen. He had orchestrated this merger with precision, every detail calculated.

his world. Love had never been part of the equation. But Scarlett... Scarlett had cracked the surfa

ache. Family? He had spent his entire life trying to escape his father's shadow, trying to sever any ties to the man who had shown him nothing but cruelt

s thoughts. It was a message from Damien, his c

d to ta

nted, it couldn't be good. But he couldn't ig

e walked down the sleek, polished hallway of his penthouse, he could still feel Scarlet

s side for years, and now Scarlett, despite the vulnerability he

show weaknes

-

was already waiting, leaning against the m

a raised eyebrow, trying to break the tension in the

n ordered, his voice s

u've seen the reports. Ethan's pulling out of the deal. He's using ever

e had known something was off, but he hadn't been able

ut for more than just business reasons. He's trying to get un

ed. "Personal? What the h

he details, but I overheard a conversation. Ethan is

blank. His heart ski

aring Damien say her name in this context, something shifted inside him. The last thing he wanted was for Scarl

old, but inside, a storm was raging. He hadn't allowed himself to care about any

tion yet, but I'm sure of one thing-Ethan is playing a

in him. "I should've known better than to le

more than just a fight for control, Sebastian. It's abo

l of everything he had worked for. But there was something in her eyes that made him quest

e of the glass. "I can't afford to lose this battle. I've spent my w

en said quietly. "But sometimes, the cost o

if Damien's right? What if everything he had built would c

in his chest-the same ache he had tried to bury for years. A

p with a single,

danger. Ethan's

the situation finally hitting him. Scarlett. The woman who had managed to breach the walls he'd spent so long con

o make a

ould he let the game of