uilding where her father had spent his final years before prison. He h

longer a home; it was a cage gilded with Julian's money

her voice a shard of ice.

lian's dry, humorless chuckle on the other end. "Let her be," he said, the words

y would break her

mind. She checked her wallet. A few hundred dollars. That was it. Her credit card

ds. The rain plastered her hair to her face and dripped from her eyelashes, mingling with

e. "Julian, I'm so worried about Chloe! She's out there all alone... a young woman on the

said, his patience wearing thin. He d

all my fault... cough... if it weren't for me, she wouldn't h

hanged instantly. "Ja

, now!" At the same time, he called Keith. "Find Chloe. I don'

e streetlights blurred into halos of light. She slumped against

ched feel of high-thread-count sheets. She was in a privat

w, his back to her. When he turn

ngerously low. "Is this how you get my

check. "Here's five million dollars," he snarled. "Take

isting her lips. He thought this was about m

althy young lady, I can fulfill that wish for you too." Julian added, his eyes like c

almost unbearable.She could have anything s

he fact that Julian would scold her mercilessly, without any reason

?" Chloe looked at him indi

f the pain in her heart. What she's endured over the y

stantly. He stood up and warned, "What's yours can never

r undoubtedly touche

he's no longer here. Did Mr. Sincla

e full of spikes, ready to hur

Where had the girl who used to

om the fact that Julian

g, blushed when she saw him, and tried to please him. The spa

have changed

anged is that she remains as

from three years ago, the one who followed him around with eyes full of adoration. The memory wa

ere sharp. "Julian, do you really belie

"Don't forget," he said, his voice dropping to a