gile shell of the sister he had always been able to manipulate. He saw the slight tremor in her ha

her down. She remembered screaming for help, her voice raw and useless against the roar of the flames. She remembered fighting back in her p

suicide. They h

as their percepti

p, her eyelashes flutter down to cast shadows on her pale cheeks. She su

ed, her voice a hollow, broken

icker of trium

er voice barely audible. "I'll break the

m this moment, I, Arden Monroe, am no longer a part of your

voice dripping with condescending magnanimity. He had gott

ooked at him, her eyes wide and empty. "I want

his eyes. He narrowed them sli

te. Where else can I go?" She met his gaze, her own filled with a raw, believable bitterness. "My trust fund

helplessness was absolute.

penniless, disgraced woman with a history of mental instability was no threat. Keeping her at th

e for your discharge. But you will behave

a numb, pup

ached the door, his phone buzzed. He answer

d by a sickeningly sweet, indulgent affection. "Yes, it's all taken care of... No, she w

ges of any familial bond between them. He was comforting

Arden, his eyes cold with a f

m Arden's face. The brokenness vanished, replaced by a look of su

tears of outrage. "Miss, why did you agre

her grip surprisingly strong. Her eyes,

and steady. "This isn't surrende