en's

suppose

se because of a clerical error-or so I had convinced myself in t

r trail. Celeste Sinclair. A woman who had been little more than a shadow in my father's past-until A

they were. Monthly transfers, private routing numbers, no official d

ed the que

ding money after she left? And why make

ess, final. But something about Celeste had lingered. And now, her daughter was here

Ayla now moved with quiet purpose. She didn't know I watched her. Th

d've le

I ha

needed her to understand that her mother hadn't been discarded. That maybe, jus

art of me... wan

out I was feeding her breadcrumbs from the past, he'd

led me from

. "Mr. Blackwood, the legal team is ready for your review of the merger contract. A

rse, h

t timing-especially when it

ntract review. And schedule a dinner fo

uld you like to in

umped to Ayla-but I dismissed t

ust fa

There's also... the matter of the staff files you

htened. "D

ebrow, clearly

e. Shred it.

sity. He'd never seen me go soft on anyone be

heavily in my leather chair. My

Sin

ouldn't matter

to break. That kind of strength was rare. It unsettled me-b

her silenced

She'd uncover a legacy built on power, secrets, and manipulation

me she wasn't afrai

hat terr

neithe

where that kind

ering over her number. I hadn't saved

te

could change

dn't pre

the ceiling, and told myself the

in co

ie grew thinn