Philli

erile white of the Swiss clinic. 'Congratulations, Ms. Phillip

, the light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. My

k on his face when I walked through the door

rvous energy buzzing under

had sent me here after the kidnapping, after my father's

He was my protector, my guardian, the man my father t

pers. The receptionist smiled warmly. "We're

Thank you. It's

ear and show no signs of relapse, it's wonderful. Here's your official certificate of recovery,

left m

smile frozen on my fa

d white. My name. The date. A full twelve months ago. Stamped with the signatur

ic, painful rhythm against my ribs. "The reports Mr. Francis sent me... th

over a year. Not since we issued the recovery certificate. And the medication... Ms. Phillips, your pr

, stolen. I thought about the letters Jaxon sent, filled with worry about my "slow progress." I remembered

't. It had to be a system err

I said, my voice tigh

yx Club, his favorite haunt. A place where deals were made over whiskey and secrets were traded like currency. The hostess recogni

s and Gomez empires are one. Congratulation

t that made my blood run cold. "It was a long time co

voice teased. "Don't tell me you're not falling for Krysta

Krystal Gomez? The socialite whose

dropping. "The marriage is a contract. It secur

tone more serious. "She's supposed to be coming home

reports, the right 'medication' to keep her foggy. She thinks sh

erupted i

ng your fiancée locked away in Switz

"She was so obsessed with me after her dad died. Worshipped the ground I walked on. It was

stal seems to have you wr

his voice hard. "Alina is my responsibility.

d to me for three years. He was married. The man I loved, the man who promised to wait for me,

lood. The sharp, coppery tang wa

, had wrapped his arm around me. He was my father's young protégé, the brilliant tech prodigy my dad had mentored. He'd s

ft anonymous gifts at his office. I learned his coffee order. I even went to a temple, kneelin

that reached his eyes. He pulled me into his arms a

. For months after, the sound of helicopters overhead sent me into fits of uncontrollable shaking-the rhythmic thump of the blades a tri

my finger. "As soon as you're better, we'll get married. I'm sending

rd in therapy. I endured the treatments, the nightmares

was planning a lif

message from Mrs. Francis, Jaxon

St. Regis. Kin

d around me. His mother was already there, a picture of cold,

r voice like ice. "It was a necessary merger to p

ble. The number on it had so m

. Take it and disappear. D

happened before, three years ago. She had tried to pay me to leave him then,

ken to fight. My love ha

y voice was hollow, a st

prised by my e

"After my father's death anniversary. After t

make sur