the grand ballroom of the Four Seasons. Every importan

reston Hawthorne III, a merger of my family's po

a trashy tabloid shov

rom Chloe, Preston' s childhood friend. She was threaten

has been having an affair

-Hawthorne en

t my smile frozen, my posture perfect. I was Se

ide. He was near the door, his face pal

ushed over, not to defe

ered, his voice weak. "Chloe...

ice dangerously calm. "D

derstand, she could hurt

onfirmed everything for the vultures

aving me alone in the

that washed over me. But I didn't let it show.

antly. His presence was a shield. His security tea

, his voice carrying the weight of the S

word. We both knew this wasn't just an embarrassment, it was a declaration of war. Preston Hawthorne III ha

a very, very