the high heels s

he gripped the fabric of her silk robe, her knuck

was adjusting his expensive silk tie. His eyebrows were pulled togeth

the stairs, her robe flying behind her. She threw herself

ulled a lace handkerchief from her pocket an

shattered ceramic pieces. The sound was like bones grinding toge

n's eyes land

mach physically recoiled. The disgust in his eyes was raw and unfiltered. He did

pay you to manage my affairs, Leland.

lders shrinking. "Sir, I apolog

t Cordelia. "You just walked through the door and you are a

eck. Over her mother's shoulder, Hallie

n. She did not rush forward to explain. She did not drop to he

ped the blood off her right hand before it could drip onto

The veins in his neck bulged against his collar.

ches from Cordelia, towering over her. He po

st her face. "This is the Fitzpatrick estate. I wi

exact same shade as Alton's-locked onto his. There was

e was high and childish, but h

park to throw heavy cups at pe

The question sliced stra

lunged into a suf

or-sharp articulation. Then, the humiliation of being outsmarted by a sev

nce. "How dare you talk back to your

und. She looked at the two adults standing in front of he

ed. She mentally deleted them. Th

cked her legs against the rug and screamed louder. "Mak

at Alton, her hands clutching Hallie. "

ng it. He opened his mouth to or

Thud

dark hallway leading to the east wing. Th

he room inst

rch of the family leaned heavily on a black ebony cane. His

tly dropped their shoulders

said, his voic

in a breath and shrank behind Antoi

r the broken cup, the spilled coffee, and finally landed o

ook away. She held

d the sides of her oversized, dirty T-shirt. She bent her knee