Elaine sank into the worn vinyl of the back seat, the city blurring past th

ight stand, not nearly enough to buy the silence of a man like Alaric Caldwell. But

sfer screen. She needed to move the funds from her s

mount:

hecking Accoun

rm Tr

t the

flashed acros

CCESS RESTRICTED. PLEASE CONT

the words, her bl

tri

ame red banner appeared. She

n't a

her f

n furious. The merger of Pierce Industries and Wood Global, sealed by their marriage,

e financial leash he'd kept her on her entire

nto the seat beside her. The feeling of being controlled, of bein

, pulling out the crumpled bills from her wallet. She had just enough for the fare, with bare

across the polished hardwood floor. She didn't stop until she was in t

atched the water swirl down the drain, wishing she could wash away the memories, the shame, the feel of his

minutes. Crying w

self in a towel. She had one

r

had secured for her, more for appearances than out of any belief in her abilities.

ed concealer with a heavy hand, meticulously covering the marks on her neck and the dark circles under her eyes. Staring at her reflect

subway downtown. The anonymity of t

ar Media Group and went straight to the of

er late forties who had always treated E

nd steady, "I have a bit of an embarrassing si

her eyebrows raised. "An advance

off. "A pipe burst this morning. It's a complete disaster. The emergency plumbe

d with sympathy. "Of cour

said, the number tasti

equest. It'll need to go through the emergency disbursement channel with finance.

u how much I appreciate this," El

rtment, a clerk slid a thick, plain envelope across the coun

as she uncapped a pen. What do you write to a man you're trying to pay

it simple

ake. This is for your

dn't s

bills, and sealed it shut. Using a courier app on her phone, she requested a "Flash Del

a bright green vest was waiting in th

important that it's handed directly to the occupa

cerned, and zipped the enve

ave, a long, slow bre

as sent. The message was

lightness in her chest. The weight of the last twe

in spreadsheets and reports, to pr

as her colleague, Sarah,

announced it. The Caldwell Enterprises acquisition is final. And Alari

s axis. The air rushed

hed, replaced by a cold, heavy dread that

-