yn's
inding it almost felt artificial. I stood near the edge of the room, clutching a glass of champagne I had no intention of d
y world. It n
eath, his hand pressing against the small of m
ained smile. I didn't belong here, and he knew it. This wasn't just a high-socie
Blackwood. The man my father had whispered about for wee
suit was impeccable, his posture perfect, his face an unreadable mask of indifference. Women gra
s eyes
sharp, like shards of obsidian cutting through the crowd, and
ay, my hear
s voice low but filled with warning. "Do you have any idea how mu
is only daughter to a man twice as powerful and in
voice barely audible abo
e left to bargain with," he said, hi
el man, but he was desperate. Our family business was crumbling under a mountain
r asked," I said, my voice tremb
wouldn't. Richard Carter wasn't a
ely
. Up close, he was even more intimidating. His presence was overwhelming,
said, my voice bare
s tone as smooth as the wh
y and suffocating. I struggled to find the right wo
His observation was c
who was watching us intently fr
ps curved into something that wasn't quite a sm
hroat dry. He wasn't g
id, his voice leaving
pushed me forward. Adrian led me toward a qui
this," he said o
't a qu
lipping out before I could stop
. "Most women in your position would be eager f
t women," I
aid, his tone softer n
humanity beneath his cold exterior. "Why
," he said bluntly.
transaction. I should have been angr
?" I asked, even though I
without hesitation. "And I make sure no one
cutting through the la
e much of a choice, do
choices," he repli
g. I wanted to hate him, to scream
id finally, my voi
ession unreadable. "Good. Then w
that, my fat
to fill the void. The city lights blurred through the car window, a kaleidoscope of
t townhouse, I went straight to m
toppable. I sank to the floor, m
who I was, not what I could offer. But those dreams felt like another lifetime now, crush
ually, the tears stopped. I wiped my face and
ize the girl st
I whispered to myself, th
h was, I didn't