n Fifth Avenue. It smelled of roasted beans and old wood. Chloe sat across

ntsuit. She slid a thick manila folder across the scarred

She scanned the terms. She would walk away with nothing. N

e's face. "He'll think it's a bluff. But i

," Chloe said, her jaw

I know you don't. But as your lawyer, I have to advise you to

cage," Chloe corrected. "And I

ed out a second, thinner folder. This one had a strange logo on the cover-a geometric

osure agreement and a single sheet of p

ooking for a lead architect for a private island development. It's massive. Conceptual stag

e scope was unprecedented. A spark flickered in her chest-the

and avoids the press like the plague. Photos of him are rare and usually outdated, he insists on

. Bentley watches my schedule. If I disappear for a meeting like this, he'll

Briana shot back, her eyes flashing. "You're an architec

at the rain-slicked street. "I don't even

. Keegan Meadows. Best therapist in the city. If you need to talk to someone, cal

s, MD. She slipped it into her pocket, not

inable. Isolated. A sanctuary. Her mind started working, sketching lines

quietly. "But you have to make

erce, triumphant lo

heeks, but it felt cleansing. She walked past an art supply store and stopped. She st

nife they had, along with a pad of vellum. It

, Maura was waiting. "Mr. Morrow c

didn't feel the usual sting. She walked st

angry red, but the swelling had gone down. She picked up the knife, her fingers c

scrap wood and sliced. The cut was

st real smile she had worn in months. She cou

ttom drawers-designs Bentley had dismissed as "too aggressive" or "

the phone ring until the voicemail

ckled over the speaker. "It's Mr

Bentley's grandmother.

the phone. "He

nd. It is a family obligation. And while we're on the subject of family, I understand you haven'

until her knuckles turned w

d take care of the ot

wanted her to produce a child to carry on the Morrow legacy. A c

spread across her desk. The

But it wasn't going to be the