down Ivy's spine. A person she believed she'd never see again stoo

ell, R

ard was tall, thin, and incredibly gorgeous in a dark, almost gloomy way, with magnetism that could elicit both adoration and dread. His dark brown eyes lat

controlled, though Ivy could hear the tension beneath the s

aze remained firmly fixed on Ivy, his lips curling into a sl

, his voice low, with that same rasping quality that

rs ago, he was someone close to her-a confidant, a friend, and, at one point, someone she trusted. But everything changed when h

Ivy whispered under her breath,

er without so much as a glance, his tailored suit brushing against her as he moved toward Edward. The air seemed to thicken as the two men l

omething about the way his jaw stiffened w

ould stop it. She wasn't sure if she wanted a response, yet somet

though his expression remained largely stoic. "Your father and I

how Richard had vanished without warning, and the strange circumstances surrounding his departure. No one ever spoke about it

ather said, his voice suddenly cold, distant. "We

own Ivy's spine. "I didn't disappear, Edward. I was forced out. But that's a conversation for another time." He

g; it was as if he could see right through her-into her thoughts and anxieties. It w

tinted with rage and intrigue. "You disappeared

of his mouth. "I'm back because I have something to offer your father," he murm

Richard; his face wrinkled.

t's time for you to know the truth, Edward," Richard said quietly barely above a whisper. "There's more to this merger than you're allowing. The

straightforward commercial transaction, a method to resolve the hatred between their famili

dward's voice was tight, h

e past is about to catch up with both of you. And Ivy will be at the core of

r. She wanted to speak, seek clarifications, but the words became stuck in her throat. Her fat

as an edge of fear in it now-fear that hadn't been there before. "We agr

make deals, Edward. I came here to make sure yo

actually

changed glances, neither willing to interrupt the silence. It was as

eventually remarked, his voice loud and autho

ood still for a moment, and then, sl

oon enough, Ivy. The truth a

arched out, leaving Ivy waiting there, her mind whi

m and demand to know what

happening? What had her father bee

now, knowing that the past-something bu

her thought, the sound of foo

Steele w

er she was ready for what was about to occur unfold. But

rned to see Gabriel, but his cold, calcu

voice low. "We

hat had Richard meant? What

the walls of her world we