igh-rise. The city was a blur of noise and motion, yellow cabs and hurried businessmen. She pulled her ove

had to undo the mess of t

phone from her pocket and dialed her father's

th fury, exploded through the receiver. "What the hell did you do, Cayla? Harvey

, her voice raw. "You locked me in tha

se or concern. "Sacrifices have to be made for the

threatened, her voice trembling with a rage that was quickly dissolving in

e casualness of his voice more terrifying than his shouting. "By the way, your

an bumped into her shoulder, muttering an curs

his voice a silken threat, "I'm afraid I'll have to cut off the paymen

other was the only person in the world who had ever shown her unconditional love. The only family sh

hun

her ear, a flat, final

wn into a crouch on the dirty pavement. She buried her face in her hands, her body

tly to the curb, its engine a low, powerful hu

indow rolled down

the dashboard lights. He wasn't looking at her, but straight ahead,

n't loud, but it cut through the traffic nois

nd was chilling her to the bone, and the weight of her father's

. The door closed with a solid, satisfying thud, instantly silencing the city noise. The car sm

l sign them," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "W

la folder from his leather briefcase and dropped

ning to a private, long-term care facility. One of the best on the Eas

disorienting, replaced her despair. "W

a long, elegant finger on the folder in her lap. "Her continued

The pages were filled with dense, impenetrable legal jargon, but the letter

multi-billion dollar medical trust that is contingent on my being married. You will play the part of a devoted, loving wife whenever you are in public or in the presence of my fam

mmediate financial ruin, a lawsuit so massive it would crush her, and,

he one person sh

gers brushed against hers as she took it, and a

ce. There had nev

name on the last page of the document, pressing down so hard that the shar

devil. And he hadn't even had the