moothly through the massive iron

ar cabin, the atmospher

l hands were folded in his lap, tightly clutching the l

er opened the door, and Geovanni walked silently into

ors of the study

lored suit, his tie loosened slightly at the collar. The air aroun

ark, piercing eyes

e quiet room. "Why did you evade your security detail at the airport? Do you realize t

efused to look at his father. Instead, his eyes darted to the woman sta

legant pastel dress. She was playing the rol

d. She put on a look of deep distress and

d Mommy so worri

ni flinched violently. He jerked his body backward as if

arked in her eyes, but she suppressed it instantly. She pulled he

ce entirely. His patience with

sive fountain pen onto the desk. "All of your Lego sets are confiscat

e bit his lip, refusing to let them fall.

g nervously by the door, cleared

n. She possessed a remarkable ability to calm the young master. He clung

ark laugh. He leaned ba

ently appears at the exact moment my son runs off, and miraculously knows exactly how to soot

is chief assistant, Alex, who

a specialist, 'Dr. Cici,' found immediately. Raise the reward to ten million dollars. On

n million dollars on a stranger, yet he treated her like an employe

u don't need to spend that kind of money. I am his mother. I can spend

e two shards of black ice. He stared at Bella,

a business transaction. A mutually beneficial corporate merger. Do not mistake it

elt like a physical slap. Her fingernails dug painfully int

f his hand. "I have to clean up the financi

out of the study, her ch

the long, carpeted h

ing at her. His dark eyes were completely devoid of emotion, staring

e gentle mother sh

leaning down until her

whisper. "If you don't start behaving and pretending to like me, I wi

wly raised the small whiteboard

g out from a sea of dark, jagged lines, while a tiny baby was snatched away by a monstrous claw. It was a manifestatio

aw the

nfant away, and the roaring fire she had started to cover her tracks crashed into her mind. She looked at the five-year-old boy

the city, inside a sleek,

en kitchen island, calm

ne hand. His other hand was flying across the screen of his tablet. Displayed on th

. "The hacker forums are going crazy. The Yates family just doubled t

nife stoppe

ile touched the co

voice flat and hard. "I will never work for Jake Yates. I will n