to seduce

champagne in Alexander Hayes's hand. He swirled the glass, the gold liqu

arely a whisper. My heart started beati

e years, I had seen that face in private moments, in stolen glances across boardrooms,

other. The one in the wheelchair. He's engaged to Chloe Miller, and I need y

Alexander, the man who had held me just last night, the man I had given five years

felt like sandpa

on the marble table. He walked over to the desk and pulled out a

sliding a check acr

dollars. The number had s

one that used to make me shiver. "Do this, and we can finally be

egged him for a commitment, for just a small sign that I was more than a convenience. He always had the same answer. "I'm not the marrying kind, Scarlett. You k

ize for a performing dog. The love I thought was fin

t like numbness. All the sacrifices, the lonely nights, the canceled plans, the l

xpecting me to break down or gratefully accept. He was used to getting wha

t threatened to spill. He wanted a performance?

" I said, my voic

shot up in surprise. H

ha

looking him straight in the eye. "To ruin a paralyzed m

s intrigued. This was a negotiation, a language he

ontract for the marriage. Not a promise. A legal

any sign of weakness. He found none. The desperate, love-struck

" he finally said,

dical bills piling up, the constant worry that kept me awake at night. Alexander had swooped in like a savior, paying for everything, setting her up in t

king an investment, securing a loyal asset he could use later.

me. For five years, he had control

me had jus

," I said, still looking out the window. "

everything," he said from behind

, the soft click of the penth

s al

ear tracked a path down my cheek, hot and sharp. I wip

ought me. He though

y's world. But I wouldn't be his puppet. I was going to find out the real reason behind this twisted plan, and when I

her anymore. This was about survival. An