From His Pawn To Her Queen

a secret, passionate affair with Elliot Solis, a powerful CEO carved from ice and logic.

ng" me as a favor to another woman, Camille-the fragile daughter

, defended her, and when I was cornered by a predator, he abandoned me to rush to her side. The ultima

imself in front of Camille, shielding her with his body and leaving me to face th

id the only thing I could. I burned his perfect world to the ground, accepted a marriage proposal from a kind

pte

all was a

tigative journalist whose byline was a constant source of anxiety for her fa

city, she was someone else entirely. Here, she was a secret, a passi

man carved from ice and logic. His power was controlled, his emotions a loc

ing, a clash of two worlds that should

as about

was planning to destroy a man her father needed, a corrupt union boss whose exposure would derail th

by the crisp, starched fabric of his work attire. The transformation was

he word a soft plea

ply adjusted his tie in the r

oard meetin

cel

face unreadable. "You

p his briefcase, his movements precise and economical. The

, a knot of desperation t

licked shut, leaving her alone in the vast, empty space. Late

didn' t wait. She grabbed her own phone and dialed h

father

e on the other end of the line. "You

acant. "The marriage alliance w

gned by Senator Pittman to secure a massive campaign donation from t

he added, her voice droppi

dy. The Senator

s morning. I want the press rel

stammered, overjoye

ion settling over her like a shroud. S

nightstand. Elliot's personal device. He never left it behind. A cold dre

om Camill

t. "Are you okay, Elliot? I heard she wa

debt. Years ago, Camille had taken the fall for a corporate espionage scandal that would have destroyed Elliot' s ca

ds while chasing a lead. She' d shown up at Elliot' s door, bruised and shaken. He had looked at her, his

e was always concern.

lan forming in her mind. He was supposed to be at his office for a boar

But as the taxi neared the Solis Systems skyscraper, she saw him. He w

wasn'

y paid the driver and slipped out of the car, hiding behin

s expression uncharacteristically soft. He said something Kennedy couldn't hear.

it felt like a physical blow. He had nev

l roar. The foundation of her secret life, the o

she couldn't forgive it. He had handed her over to Elliot two years ago, a wild daughter to be "tamed"

ffice with a hundred black cats, an homage to his sleek, predatory nature. She did everything she could to break t

ted effect. It didn' t knock him out; it stripped away his layers of control, leaving him raw and vulnerable. That night, in a haze of confusi

weakness, she had fall

re the powerful CEO and the rebellious journalist could exist without judgment. She thou

awards ceremony where he was being honored. She bought a n

er sho

le, dining at an exclusive restaurant. The headline read: "Tech Mogul

ouse and smashed a priceless vase, the shards of c

dn' t looked at her. He had lo

ng crew take care of

r tears with a tenderness he never showed her, was the final, fatal blow. It wasn't just

e wasn't just a pawn in her father's game any

walked back to the Hall family mansi

tman, in his study, her stepmother and C

id, a rare smile gracing his lips. "The And

ion," she said, her vo

altered. "W

e stripped from me. I will go to Seattle as Kennedy H

sk of disbelief and fury. Evelyn, howeve

ridiculous," D

o you remember the union pension fund you 'mismanaged' a decade ago? The one that disappeared right before your f

d with rage. He stood up, his h

s voice shaking. "You ar

ing, Dwight. Jamey Anderson's company specializes in data security. The most advanced in

d herself to collapse. Sobs wracked her body, tears of grief for a father who never loved her and a man who had syste

s, she heard voices in the hallway. Her father's voice, warm and

ear. This will alw

er was leading Camille into the room directly opposite hers. The ro

her mother's r

She closed her door silently. There was