e plush gray couch, staring at a folder Armando had placed on the coffee table in front of me. The sleek leath

said, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, hi

dge of the folder. "Why are you doing this?

cause you need to understand who James really

my spine. Taking a deep brea

picture far worse than I had ever imagined. James wasn't just a li

eals with dangerous, unsavory individuals. But what truly made my stomach turn were the photos: James with Sam

ed, my voice trembling as

in deep debt, Olivia, and the people he owes aren't the kind to forgive or forget. If they find hi

chest tightening. "How

s just say I have resources. And James has made m

sn't just cruel-he was dangerous. And I had been blindly tied

asked finally, m

rmly. "You let me handle James. And you

screet, high-end establishment nestled in the heart of the city. From the outsi

the faint clink of glasses. Men in tailored suits and women adorned in jewels mingled

, clutching Armando's arm as

e formed, and occasionally, where enemie

s presence was commanding, his dark eyes scanni

smooth but laced with an undertone

ine. "My fiancée," he said, his t

e a moment too long. "Lucky man," he sai

ed closer to Armando, my

aid, but his jaw was clenched, and his eyes r

the tension from the club. Armando was in his study, speaking in hus

f me, and I edged closer t

eaving no room for negotiation. "If anyone so much

uickly followed by a pang of unease. I was in deeper than I

do surprised me wit

I asked, openin

re," he sa

etails of investments in my name, and a proposal for m

me?" I asked, my voic

ls," Armando replied. "

t a spark of hope, a glimmer of what my life coul

s I left the penthouse for some fresh air, I noti

e lunged toward me, the glint

ivi

out like a gunshot,

recision, his movements swift and calculated. By the time security

rm but comforting. "I told you, you're safe

I truly understood the c

of the penthouse,

ce shaking with a mix of fear an

s a pawn," he said finally. "Sent by someon

what my life is now? Living in

"Your life is yours. And I'll make damn

oice was almost enough

this?" I asked, m

gh to reveal the man beneath. "Because you deserve better,

air, a promise I wasn't sure he co