penthouse was thick with the smel

f sparkling water. I was already dressed in a crisp s

unlocked, and B

His suit was wrinkled. He had clearly spent the entire night at the off

plastered on a sickening

laced a small, velvet Tiffany-blue

ke sincerity. "The stress of the merger... I lost my temper. I had

e blue box. I

my index finger. Inside sa

e deadpan. "It was heavily discounted during last year's p

tened. A muscle ti

Harlow," he forced out, tryin

d pulled out a thick legal docum

f the other investors, so we look like a stable entity. We just need to weather this sudden mar

th impossible vesting schedules and clawback clauses. He wasn't giving me equity; he w

l against the marble.

er, sweating. He though

speak, the do

authorita

nterruption. He marched over to t

g an immaculate, bespoke English suit and white cotton g

you?" Barr

y. His eyes bypassed him and lock

n air of absolute authority. He walked straight to the

troduced himself, his voic

cream-colored envelope. It was sealed with a heavy dol

ton fami

e envelope toward

he wax seal. As a man desperate to climb Wall Street's ladder, he knew exactl

dilated in

e wax seal-the sharp crack echoing in the q

ton IV request

ardin.

to the envelope and gave A

u, Arthur

d on his heel and walked out of the apartment,

r click

the air near the envelope. "What is that? Ho

nto my leather handba

ied smoothly, my face a mask of indiffer

d up in disbelief. "They sent a butler with a

vibrating violen

ID flashe

loud, obnoxious,

his face flushing with embarrassment and

bing his briefcase. He pointed a trembling finger at

ally ran o

up the Tiffany box and dropped it stra

p the two percen

living room. I fed the document into the slot. The machine whirred,

he bathroom and

astened a pair of heavy, heirloom emerald earrings to my lobes-

oat of blood-

submissive, quiet girl Barre

out the door, ready to meet the