he stops, the sound cracking through th

nating the massive mahogany desk in the center of the room. It was a pi

ayla Cruz was perched on his lap, her legs dangling over the armrest. Her

k, scrambling off Kevon's lap so fast she nearly tripped over her own heels. She frant

a millisecond. He slammed his hand dow

t, came skidding to a halt, panting heavily

ugh to pin Leo with a glare th

ng authority in her stance made him swallow hard. He mumbled

hardwood floor. She stopped right in front of the desk, her eyes drifting t

ammered, her voice trembling. She tucked a strand of hair behind he

na asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

hit the wall. He straightened his tie, trying to regain his composure. "You

t him, really taking in the arrogance that oozed from every pore. "I heard

nsion. "You were hysterical. I needed you to calm down and realize what you're

lly believed his own hype. He

hipping motion, she hurled it at his chest. The thick stack

ing down like white snow, covering th

own, his eyes scanning the bold, black type at the top. Comprehensiv

wide with disbelief. "Are you insane? You can't unilate

her look like she had just drawn blood. "Check the actual holding company for the patents

esk, jamming his finger onto the intercom bu

ents show the patent authorization comes from a third-party shell company called 'Vanguard Holdings.' We need time to verify the backgro

dropped from the phone. He looked like a man who had just watched h

orward, reaching out a hand.

d off, his eyes fixed on the sca

ek black sleeve, savoring the sight of them-the powerful CEO reduced t

She pulled the cap off with a sharp click and tossed the pen onto the

" Fiona c

ists on the desk, his knuckles white. The humili

ottom line, I'm holding a press conference in the lobby in twenty minutes. The headli

ne tick down. The silence was absolute, broken