the family's sprawling estate on Long Island. It was the society even

o the grand ballroom, a wave of whispers followed her, a ripple of morbid curiosity. The story of her "psych

physical touches, a mixtu

looking fragile and angelic in a white dress. They were a carefully constructed portrait of victim and savior. He saw Jazmin, and a surge of pure, humil

cept her. She "accidentally" stumbled, sloshing the conte

voice a pitch-perfect imitation o

mmediately stepped in, playing th

a folded report from his jacket pocket. "I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand

anding nearby, fanned the flames. "She's a disgrace!

or her to scream, t

held out her

copy of the report. She scanned it, her l

meline. According to these dates, I was supposedly meeting a lover at the Baccarat Hotel. But my husband," she paused, l

dy's hand tightened on her clu

the sharp thump-thump of

room. She was a tiny woman in her eighties, but her presence commanded more authority than everyone else i

tead of the expected reprimand, she

"You would risk the family's reputation and a ten-p

Weren't you the one who left my grandson three years ago for t

her, his expression a mixture of shock and d

stock is stable. Our family image is intact. Therefore, I refuse to

about protecting her. It was about protecting the Garrett brand.

Adrian roared, his composure fin

val of the family board, of which I am the

d to slip away, but found her path blocked by Arthur,

watching them tear each other apart

otocol, she thought, a silent command

ty departures. Jazmin walked out alone, her heels clicking a

y into a communicator hidden in his cufflink. "No emoti

the dashboard screen flickered to life, displaying

e was simple: `

ge was on

reak things. Now let's s