de the Columbia University dormitories, Chloe unbuckled

of the car. She did not

he driver's seat. His dark, unreadable eyes watched her fra

reached her dorm room, pushed the door open, and collapsed against

a sheet mask. Paige jumped when the door slammed. She

d, peeling the edge of the

eyes. "No. I just... I skipped breakfast to make

ssed a packaged oatmeal cookie toward the door. Chloe caught it. Her finge

r behind her. She dropped the cookie on the counter, turned o

skin dry. When she looked up into t

just a fraction of an inch. Right there, on the side

a tube of heavy concealer. She dabbed it over the mark, blending it in with frantic, rough

ack on the concealer, her

an encrypted text messa

"The passcode to the penthouse at

It made her physically sick. He was treating her like a call girl. He thought he

ast as her fingers would move. "I do not n

instantly. It was a

to enlarge it. Her pupi

room from last night. Lying perfectly flat on the cold sto

you need me to have someone deliver your pers

rners of her eyes. She knew Arthur was not bluffing. He was exactly the

her hands. She typed her response. "Thr

turned the phone completely off. She tossed the dead device into t

mirror, fixed her sweater, a

the couch with her la

her nerves completely frayed.

ed her closer. "Look at the Columb

letters. Beaumont Capital donates fifty million dollars t

and imposing in his custom suit, surrounded by the beaming un

resting her chin on her hands. "He is so cold. So untouc

n the screen. Her stomach churned violen

y how this cold, untouchable man had pinned her to the mat

en't you sponsored by the Beaumont family

rced her face to remain blank. "I am just a charity case. I have

"Makes sense. He is old money. People like u

g so hard into her palms that the skin nearly broke. She s