ut echoed like a gunshot in the s

there, the ring lying at his feet like a symbol

owly, picked it

Delicate. Gold.

. A perfect circle. Like the cycle of revenge that had

er supposed

ssboard, a calculated pie

did his chest feel

elf a drink, neat. The burn of scotch didn't numb the sting in h

u... and y

d built an empire on top of broken men and ruthless cont

feel. He conquered.

d it feel like he had lost someth

s wrapped tightly around herself as if trying t

gainst the wi

d. Not yet. Not

ion didn't come in waves, but silenc

ed in her ears, cold and

looked at her with anything real behind those eyes? Every kiss, ever

iven him

been play

o?" the driver

nked. She d

the only place you

st place that came to mind. It wasn't far. She didn

iver n

from the penthouse, C

n't give

o-ceiling window, watching th

's

ke a foreign lang

he wanted, was

he man who had ruined his father and left his fa

er false pretenses, to

ye

way she curled up in his lap late at night and whispered h

k like he preferred, with a crooked smile and a kis

time he almost told he

was protecting the plan

weakness was loving her-

hone

Erik, his hea

ab. No tail. Wa

at the screen

umb ho

lowly,

o

couch and sank into the leath

. That was

mething growled in protest.

pposed to lea

oking at him like

a sat at the edge of the bed, her suitcase

rought much.

lls from unknown numbers. Lucien, prob

d every on

eded t

eathe without hi

emember who she

iamonds, before the grand penthouse and wh

had

in the mirror

her? Pale. Hollo

o

ad taken

t take her

is study. Inside, buried beneath legal docum

are

inning in the rain outsi

know he h

hed by the storm he had

a long time before tuc

w what he was

knew wa

won t

n't feel l

anym