that night eight years ago. All the air vanished from her lungs. She clapped a hand over her

ut some distance between herself and the man standing before her. Her b

raight into som

ore she could hit the floor, a large hand cla

her chin up and looked straig

r her pale, sweating face. The instant he recognized who he was holding, his jawline locked. His eyes

d, their families having moved in the same elite circles. What had once been a familiar acquaintance had long since deteriorated into bitter rivalry. To

his palm, Elissa flinc

go, Mr.

stepped forward, pinning her betwee

ling now, Crawford?" he asked,

the custom Patek Philippe smart-watch Kurt wore on his right wrist. Both devices were more than expensive accessories. Each contained a

ht flickered across the surfaces of both heirlooms, followed by a series of rapid pulses. Their embedd

atch, while Elissa's wristband lit up in response. A flat mecha

c match c

d toward the glowing display, his expres

ust mandate activated," the system announced

e blood freezing in her vei

possible. The sy

sial clause required a designated heir to enter a legally recognized marital partnership with the person whose inherited biometric credentials matched the trust's hidden

covered in filth and took half a step b

with the trust system's core

wall, her chest heaving as

yourself, Mr. Stewart. I'd ra

encrypted alert was automatically transmitted through the Stewart family's private trust network,

e Stewart hedge fund empire, he knew the three-hundred-year-old trust mandate better than anyo

orner, blocking both ends of the narrow hall. Hayward shoved his way to the front. When he read the marital lock o

it second, revealing twisted jealousy before she clapped a hand over her mouth.

pered. "Didn't you say... didn't you

rs, and their marriage had been considered inevitable. Alysia had spent years preparing to become the future M

s icy eyes stayed pinned on El

system d

ped forward, wiping cold sweat fro

e. Once a biometric match is locked, no one

st mandate meant. She had spent eight years keeping her identity and financial affairs hidden. The last thing she needed was another secret dragging her

, turning the bizarre pairing of Wall Street's king and

he wood cracked, and bright red blood oozed from his split knuckles. Turnin

natic," Kurt ground out between hi