ry Julian

final, cutting through the stale a

ral bankruptcy, actually paused, his pen hoveri

apped up. "

prise, then raw, unadulterat

hopeful tremor in his voi

in a coma. My mother's best friend's son. A conveni

"The Hamiltons get their merger, you get your

mahogany doorframe, arms cross

rowed. "What

s out of that disgusting arranged marriage you coo

Chloe is my daughter. I k

precise. "The one whose existence, and your decades

red. He started to blu

l? Chloe walks away from your medie

their comatose son. This was their way of protecting me, of honoring my mother, El

the word grudgi

eleased in full upon the marriage. No arguments

ady calculating

to the room, "I want controlling interest in Monroe Holding

"Controlling inter

tion." I paused. "And one more thing. My bodyguard, Etha

uinely perplexed

a physical effort. "She'll need good protec

ning returning. "You want your bodyguard, t

uel smile playing on my lips. "She deserves the best. And

lready turning back to his papers, the crisis averted, his legacy, however tarnished, secured. He probably thought Chloe, sweet,

e click of my heels on the

was pushing Ethan aw

e one part of this gilded c

was sligh

low murmur

e laugh, then Eth

oze on the

or open silentl

ack mostly to me. Chloe was facing

r conversation tha

what Et

framed ph

stoic expression, a subtle curve to his lips that I'd

o. "That was at the animal shelter gala, remember?

his gaze still

sy, a beatific smile on her face as she supposedly h

uised and battered thi

subtle tenderness I'd only ever imag

d to me three years ago, shortl

e. Tall, built, with eyes that sa

y on a physical level. The sharp cut of h

o get a reaction from him. Flirtatious comment

th

sm. Polite, distant, his gaze

his voice a low rumble,

very of Marcus's affair, of Chloe's existence, had shattered her. She

dent. I knew better. It was a broken

raging against a world th

than a

was just... there. A constant. The first

my outbursts, my defensive barbs. He simply did his job, protecting

ion for his skill morph

, unrequite

, the one hidden beneath layers of cynicism

s eyes scanned a room, the subtle tension

t strength, his

ved

th Chloe, centered around a photograph that sc

call. Ethan, in his small security office off the

with Monroe is... volatile. B

pa

nt. There's a purity there. U

od ran

arrangement for her. I might be able to influence that, guid

hat had truly ri

is secure, away from Marcus's manipulations. It

ht f

s-referencing his few known details with reclu

was no ordina

er Knight, the tech visionary, a man whose we

aying the role of my protector, all while asse

urity." His dismissal

e wasn't just professionalism. It was disdain. Or worse, indiffere

discovery had b

tender gaze fixed on Chloe's innocent faca

fter my mother's death, the ones Ethan himself had unkn

g new rose f

hard r

Chloe, he c

make sur

he door, my face a m

s was done. My esca

rm Ethan Knight of

tie to a love that had only eve

the air feeling thin

oor open fully and s

evoid of all warmth. "I hav

laced by his usual guarded professionalism. Chloe looke

an acknowledged, h

longer in his hand.

it. And I wou

request, but a fact. "To Chloe. You'll be

raction. "Is that your fath

his gaze directly. "And my father

wide. "Oh, Ava! For me?

u're the one who needs protection, Chloe. A

ut I saw a flicker deep in his eyes

dn't

ould be near her. He would g

would

I told