e massive wrought-iron gates of

ugged her sharp curves perfectly. She looked up at the sprawling

ed at her ID before buzz

foyer. The marble floor echoed beneath her cheap shoes. She k

. The matriarch of the family looked at

k stack of papers onto

said, her voice like grinding stones. "It includes a m

pt her fa

Eleanora continued. "You are a prop. Don't ever

d signed the prenuptial and the NDA without hesitation. She pl

bed Sloane's arm and dragged her

end of the first floor. The smell of antisept

an who had ruthlessly crushed her father wa

m the basin. She grabbed Gerard's fra

elids twitc

ips inches from his ear.

ng with light. The trust fund rest

servative gray evening g

navan's bride tonight.

chatter in the ballroom died down. Hundreds of eyes locked onto her. T

double doo

arm, radiant in a custom gown. Around

mother's

white. Her chest burned with the urge to lunge forward a

ws. Corrie's eyes narrowed. Even in that hideous

abbed a glass of red w

sted." The red wine flew from the glass, splashi

hs echoed from the

e gasped, covering her mouth. Her

her champagne flute on a passing tray. She pulled a s

cy Parisian accent. "That haute couture piece is from last season.

ffened. Corrie's fake smile froze.

n and walked over. "What

heart gave a violent, unnatural thump against

tared ri

mily is truly eye-opening," Sloa

lammed her cane into the ma

s arm and dragged her

find a restroom. As she stepped into the shad

vy, suffocatin

second-floor balcony. A tall, broad

alcony, a gaze so intense and predatory it felt like a physical grip around her thr

errifying scrutiny once before, in the darkest corners of her nig

ane to the master bedroom at the end of the

vy oak door open. The

y the floor-to-ceiling w

t his face. It was a face carved from m

an ordered. His