suit. His father, Marcus Hayes, sat behind a massive mahogany desk in his Upper East Side town

unspoken things, the us

voice devoid of warmth, all business. "

ace a careful mask.

n alliance benefits us. Benefits you, eventua

tion. With Marcu

like it. His father always had a plan,

s voice surprisingly stea

, a flicker of surprise.

ing further into the lion's den. "Ten billion dollars. Liquid. Tran

rowed. "Ten billio

, a bitter edge to his tone. "And one more thing. Sara

long-standing affair, the golden boy. Protecting Liam was always a priority. And the Davenport connection, Marc

," Marcus mused. "She's capable. Very capa

m sure. He needs the best, do

nything but the truth. The truth was a raw, aching wound: Ethan was in love with Sarah Bell. He thought she was just a highly skilled profession

girl will be reassigned once the marriage contract with the Davenports is

ing on him. He was selling himself to escape one prison, only to walk into another, albeit a gilde

' s portrait was there too, a small, sad smile on her face. She' d died giving birth to a second child, a child that never drew breath. He remembered the hushed whispers, the suspicious timing. Marcus ha

r of a marriage he' d clearly grown tired of. Liam got the attention, the praise, the new toys, the easy path. Ethan

l, presence. He' d found himself talking to her, small things at first, then more. He' d tried to flirt, clumsy attempts that she' d parried with cool profes

r Sarah' s door. He shouldn' t, but he paused. He heard a faint rustling. Cur

re uniform but in soft civilian clothes. In her hands, she held a small, framed photograph. She was gazing at i

d the photo slightly, catching the light. It w

rent because her affections lay elsewhere. With his perfect, favored half-brother. The demand to transfer her to Liam, a desperat

ed into his mind. The pain was a

rmur of her voice reached

A pause. "Ethan? Oh, he's... tolerable. A means to an end. Honestly, not even

her tone... it wasn' t just tenderness for Liam; it

, her voice now crisp, businesslike, utter

hina

e of the wealthiest, most influential families on the East Coast. Untouchable.

ator, and Liam was her prize. And Ethan? He was nothing. Less t

alls around his heart didn'