er, Iris let out a long, shaky breath. She felt like she

Camden Kirk-a man who supposedly couldn't walk but whose cologne matched the stranger who had pinned her against a pillar with effortless s

ll back through it at any moment. "That was officially the most terrifyi

said, her jaw set

ager was wiping down the espresso machine, l

lar bill from her wallet and sl

voice tight and professional. "He was

. Lawson was here. But the second he saw the CEO of Kirk Industries roll t

aff. Lawson had taken one look at the man and fled. Her frustration with Camden Kirk-the masked stranger, the terrifying p

rons in the coffee shop. Her gaze locked onto a man si

estment bank. She recognized him from a Forbes

n her pencil skirt, adjusted her blazer, and plastered on

van. I believe my father, Harris Sullivan, mentioned we might cr

to shake her hand. The Sullivan name carried

n. Yes, of cours

e real estate deals to Vance's recent aggressive stock acquisitions. She asked sharp, piercing

, Iris had extracted enough exclusive q

nding up and taking his personal business card. "I'l

as watching her with an expression caught

e front-page interview out

alter, attaching the raw audio and a bulleted list of Vance's most explosive quotes. "This is front-page

king through her earlier tension. "You're ter

r veins. She had saved her job. She had salvaged something from this disastro

a frantic intern rushing into the shop while sta

ing to catch herself, but crashed hard into a w

with a deafening crash. Scalding hot coffee splashed a

ent dead silent. Every e

sorry," she gasped, dropping to her knees to help th

t, kneeling down to help. "Iris, lea

embarrassment. She could feel the stares of every patron in the shop drilling into her back-the same people who had just wa

cross the street, the black

ndow rolled down e

eyes were locked onto the girl kneeling on the floor of

collar and kissed him-the way she had demanded answers from him, challenged him, re

back was turned. Seeing her now, trying so hard to maintain her dignity while covered in coffee, a dark, amused smirk played on his l

in the rearview mirror. "Sir,

one would rather drown than accept a life raft from a stranger." A pause, then his s

ynn was right behind her, throwing a protective arm around her shoulders as they hit the sidewalk. Iris limpe

he crowd. He rolled the window up,

phone and dialed

idn't scare Seraphina away. Her father just called me,

at. "And entirely transparent. All she wanted was the Kirk fortune. She prac

nd of the year, the board of directors will use your 'disability' to force a vote of no c

nding on that balcony, chin raised, eyes blazing, demanding to know if he was single. He thought of her terrible, clumsy, unfo

ffee shop floor, cheeks flushed with

en said softly, his voice carrying a dark,

end of the line. "What? Who? Camden,

ted, his tone brooking no ar

demanded, her voice

e phone and tosse

s, medical history. Her parents, the Sullivan estate, the engagement to Angus-I want every skeleton in every close

ated for the briefest m

d, "will have nothing to complain about once I present them with a wedding announcement." He leaned

Manhattan traffic, a massive, invis