days l

coffee cup when a woman

a designer coat sat down at her table one and introduced herself as Mrs

asked, like she alre

nodded,

Benetton

in the a

the woman said smoothly, "and I have

her like she wa

envelope containing a le

she said casually, as i

re. Your mother's treatment

blood r

... T

al," the woman said. "And y

roze. "E

also know my stepson; he's ca

six months and I'll take care of everything including your mother

ouldn't

is i

your only

d you want me

mile never re

ol as he thinks. And some women

t the document

face flashe

dy, the bills

t owe Gre

ybe fa

ime," she

" Mrs. Jackson said

sed at

?" she said, tu

ve. That would be

image. Grey needs a wife for business optics. I need a daughter-i

mbled as she looke

her was

t have the lu

evor G

of over-polished wood and manipulation. Benetton sat at the head of the table, draped in

didn'

ummone

ile that never reached her e

nked. "E

rown. Sweet, polite. And

a slap. "What the hell

the table. "It's already done. Legal teams just

ch the paper. "

eaming with something far darker t

'm not marryin

ranger. You've

hadow flickering

eks ago? The girl with the silver dress, broken heels.

dy sti

t even ask

r?" he

. Poor enough to obey, invisible enough to disap

sts. "You think I'll

w you

eillance shot of Grey in a hotel hallway, shirt h

. A Trevor heir accused of assaulting a wa

lie," Gr

a believ

voice dip

our precious tech merger if this 's

r, rage simmering

laying wi

netton said cooll

s Apart

The enormous wire transfer from Benetton's people that had already paid for part of her mother

nt, arms folded, expression dark. "

d

rself? You're going to marry a billionaire w

kno

hy

ors needed half the money before the surgery. Because they wer

le

t down beside

tell me it w

t you to talk

o talk you out of it

wn. "Seems he do

akes it better,

because I ran out of options. Because no one else was

oney. I hate what this makes me look like. But if it's a cho

"You shouldn't have to

kno

roken only by the hum of the frid

e not going through thi

ing her eyes. "Pro

yth

hings go dark don't let them bury me. Dig

nd. "I'll burn the pl