did w

had barely finished speaking, but her best friend was already star

repeated, her voice s

wn the book she was

n Wal

. I know when you're joking, and you are de

m n

s about a thous

e to face another awkward breakfast with Ethan while pretending their marriage was an ordinary routine. On the bus ride over,

could trust implicitly.

" Chloe demanded, crossing he

he tense hours in the hospital, and how Evelyn had eventually dropped the bombshell offer about her grandson. Finally,

to keep the bookstore alive; the thought that Daniel had made her feel like an

't keep forcing her to choose bet

you call

f the offer was still open. By morning, she had or

ed an elderly woman in the middle of the ni

ike that, yes, it sou

e, do

n minutes. Afterward, Ethan handed me apartment keys, explained the household expense

romance like a publ

etended it w

it heavily. "You could have called me, E

kno

hy didn

via's spare room while Daniel treated me like an intruder. And I didn't want to become your permanent respo

ugh worry still shadowed he

I was crashing

ross the counter. "Fine. Let's talk about your myst

bedroom is off-limits. I shouldn't wait up, and I shouldn't call unless it's a dire emerg

on the balcony: Ethan ordering someone to handle a problem with

ed. "Do you have any ide

N

know yo

't thi

erwork entails and what your legal options are if this falls apart. Second, protect your indep

be car

m. Don't assume he's a villain, but for heaven's sake, don't a

eturning to her eyes. "One final,

hl

markably no

bathroom that morning damp hair, a towel slung over his b

s fi

in

u insist on dragg

triumphantly.

way. We aren't that ki

shing clear to

am

is just experiencing a sud

eeting moment, they were simply two best friends laughing

rated. "Wait. What did y

n Wal

as in Wal

n't know. Is there a

r magazine piece about their holdings three years ago. All I ever got was a ruthless lawyer's phone number and a formal cease-and-desist. But I distinctly reme

Ethan could

once, she set the jokes aside and pulled the laptop closer. She began noting e

front window. Emily pulled open her l

, and articles about executives sharing the name. Nothin

gain: Walke

ulation. One post claimed the family's youngest billionaire heir deliberatel

" Emily whispered

corrected grimly. "That'

er family beneath a towering corporate

g new variable had entered the equation: the emotional distance she had accepted as coldnes

e heir no one could track down... wh

s he so desperate to ke