ella pulled a pack of cleansing wipes from

toward Teterboro Airport, Elias glanced at

red off her mouth until her lips were pal

g on the dining room floor, she had driven herself to a private clinic in New Jersey under a false na

ouble for that forged re

a said, tossing the stained wipe into a disposal b

go," Elias said, his hands tightening on the st

w three years of receipts in his face and walked out with another man. His pride is bruis

erboro gleamed under the midday sun. Waiting on the runway was a heavy

nly daughter born to his legal wife. Because her bloodline was deemed the purest, she ha

days measured out on a timetable down to the minute. Her parents had never held her. Only the head butler, Uncle Matt

He had taken two bullets in the chest at the harbor gates. Falling to his knees with blood pouri

e, he had choked out.

es until she turned and

la, and spent three years trying to be an or

a stop a hundred y

ight. "Say the word and I'll tu

la said, looking at him calmly. "I wo

ogical child-was born disabled and lived in a private sanatorium in Europe. Two weeks ago, the A

Nine," Eli

ght thing. Take

ou land," Elias warned, his brow creasin

er, Eli-you know my files. If they force an abortion, I'll never conceive again, and Va

the door handl

," Stella said without looking b

ed in surpr

o her nose to shield her stinging eyes from the glare,

ur flight attendants in tailore

ome, Miss

or, she turned once and raised her hand to Elias watching from the

Stella sat alone in the leather club seat. She reached into th

on the screen: Window

a single wo

ed the phone off, a