ay to his study. The room was his sanctuary-a fortress of dark wood, leather, and cutting-edge techn

htly amused voice of Jenson Sterling, his most trusted subordinat

harp. "She's asleep. Effective immediately, her security is y

used entered his voice-something Jenson had rarely heard. "

oice, replaced by crisp efficiency. "U

fty-one percent controlling interest to her name. I

other end of the line. "Sir... Apex is t

ll personally take the position of interim Vice President at Apex. You will

s,

y as he stared at the city lights beyond his window. "Apex Global will

n Aspen Creek by the time the sun rises. Start liquidating their assets, trigger audits, call in their debts. But do it slowl

done," Jen

w months ago-the garish makeup, the ill-fitting dress. A world away from the woman sleeping in his bed. He zoomed in on

murmured to the screen, v

and contingency plans. On a secondary monitor, a silent live feed from a

have nightmares. Some deep, primal part of her knew that jus

He closed his laptop, walked out of his study, and leaned against the wall in the corridor