ke

ht with him took a hesitant step, then halted as Lena gave them a single, sharp glance. In the s

the truth. The quiet junior developer for whom they had felt a measure of pity was, in fact, the q

oman to a piece of driftwood. "Connor, speak to her!" she shrieked, her voice cracking

head. He merely shook it, a slo

of an old man, he bent down. He reached f

ret that had come far too late. "Do not do this. I beg you. Gi

ore blameless employees to be humiliated? To allow your... guest... to run roughshod over th

ainst the pallor of my skin. "What of my chance, Connor? What of the chanc

f the injury, real and vivid, seemed at last to breach his fortres

t as if to touch it, to soot

k, recoiling as if fro

ck with self-loathing. "I should have protected you.

t, performed years ago. Does that debt include a license to forge company documents? Because the keycard she has been using is register

he could not answer, because we both knew th

ked to venomous. "You creature!" she screamed at me. "You calculating, cold

a mask of pleading. "I love you, Connor! I

th indulgence, were now filled with a cold, dawning disgust. "Be silent, Ja

. "Do not leave me, Blake. I was wrong. I was grievously w

rom my lips with the finality of

fissure in my resolve. He found none. With a shuddering sigh th

from a nearby table. His hand trembled

to touch the signature line, my tel

put the call on

viewed the term sheet from the Apex Ventures de

up, the pen frozen a

n pill clause in section seven. If signed, it would have given them a controlling interest in the company within six months, for a pittance. They would have g

tle. "He was so diverted by that woman's theatrics th