, they rel

ght had gone out of him, repl

e Vanderbilt mansio

efore him, wore what

apology to Julian, the words

a smug look of sati

d won. She thought

was

simmered. The plan for

eded

of her "generosity,"

orts car he had n

eer you up, darling," she

is face care

e car that

the country, as V

o mee

rner phone, m

uff and familiar

have you been? I've

. I n-nee

ck, but with Marc,

crowded bar on the

erbilt would ev

s gaunt face and haunted eye

she do to

ats, the grandparents, the barn, th

ting, broken phrases, but

d, Marc was silent

e clenched, h

s voice low and dangerous. "She's

out, Marc. I n-nee

he'll hunt you to th

But I n-need... s-something. S-so

stood. A f

y, man. Ve

o. It's the

been developing... stuff. Experimental. Might be something that could work

ile thing, flicker

t," he w

osted a lavish charit

eason. Hundreds of guests, all d

cky's side, a man

s wai

lic scenes, moments of humiliation that would ma

as there, preening and bas

e ballroom, meant to display images o

led throug

en, the screens showed gr

s of

high sc

r, his face contorte

oked like diner refuse, his cloth

personal, shameful. Thi

blood drain

o

he screens, her f

a low hiss that carried over th

you embarrass me like th

rward, feigning s

le! Poor Ethan... who

they met Ethan's, w

her way to torment him, to tu

the source. She only car

ethed. "You bring nothing but filth

rm, her nails dig

leaving

he stunned crowd, a publi

explain. He knew s

like this, orchestrated by

iliation served

ative of a man pu

mansion, Vicky's ra

room like a

photos get out?

ilent. He knew t

be pointless. Vicky was

nded on

Your past! It's alw

ze, his own c

the more desperate he seemed,