rk hardwood. Harrison didn't look at her; he simply placed a high-end ha

s voice dropping into that

d was short, Caroline was forced to stand in a slight crouch, holding the hem of her batik skirt out like a fan.

o dry the inner thigh felt intimate in a way that made her skin crawl. She kept her head down

elf that reached toward the ceiling. He sat at his mahogany desk, the green shaded lamp casting sharp sha

y, she was wearing flat shoes because she clearly couldn't handle a heel, and she had just stained herself with dessert like a toddler. His grandfather

the whir of the dryer. The fabric was finally s

glowing with a smal

ped, the sound of the dryer

irectly at her own face. A blast of 120-degree air hit her square in the eyes. She let out a soft, surprised sq

r the room, ring

ed, his voice dripping with a sarcas

htening. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't a mess, that she was a person who lived a real life where th

leaning back in his chair. "Go on. Insult

er like a shield. "There's no point. I've lear

closed his book with a heavy thud. "I almost let myself believe that someone of your st

"Oh, forgive me, Your Heavenly Lord. I forgot th

expression remained unmoved. "Since we will be forced into several

st uncomfortable. I'm not used to being painted like

her ponytail to her flat shoes. "I bet you're wea

Because I like to actually get pl

zed on the desk. He checked the screen, his expression shifting back to business. "My

foggy Havenport harbor. "Actually, I brought you here to discuss several points we missed in the first meeting. B

g. Harrison was tall, his shoulders broad and straight, his suit fitting him like armor. He looked like an imported, high-end product, sleek, exp

Harrison's voice broke

Caroline snap

with a genuine, concentrated annoyance. In the span of an hour, he had been ignored by

doors slid open. "I have a feeling yo

's black Alphard moved through the misty streets of Havenport like a funeral c

controlled anger, his eyes fixed on the road as if he were looking for something to hit. In

r about?" her mother's voice

d, his voice sounding older than Caroline had ever heard

fter dinner. He had known Jennifer when she was a girl, the agile, laughing daughter of his employer. Now, sh

had asked her, falling into the

ifer had replied with a sad, ghostly smile

e you r

sturing to the gold-leafed roo

ennifer. I hope yo

gaze piercing. "Why did you give your daugh

"When Williams Marcus wants somethi

e'd had since she was a child. "I can't promise she'll be okay, Hale. To be honest, I am

ough his heart wasn't in it. "She will

w I 'adapted.' Your daughter is innocent. She doesn't understand the the trap she's walkin

"I thought... I thought giving her to Williams

es fixed on a point far beyond the room. "But your memory needs

d. "I don't

ars ago. Do you remember my father's

ng. "Clara. I remember her. I thou

ced a son, a brilliant young man with more potential than a dozen legal heirs." Jennifer leaned in, her

t. He felt the air leave his lungs. "No... that's i

s ago. He watched you. He groomed you. He gave you a business to run because he wanted to see if the Marcus blood was strong in you. And wh

sudden resolution... the way Williams had always favored him despite

her is unifying the bloodlines. He is making the illegitimate, legitimate. Everything, your career, your marriage, your children,

home, his legs feeling like lead. Jake caught h

y?" Caroline aske

eded to lie down. But as the night wore on, his fever spiked. He lay

was built for this. She has the steel. But Caroline... our kind-hearted little girl...

the door, watching