er world. The frantic energy of Manhattan gave way to manicured lawns and old-money

there, her voice thin and strained. "Evelyn,

way, Mom. W

"It's... Delano Quinn. He's

n so powerful and reclusive he was more myth than reality. In her past life, she had

ver to go faster,

th tension. Her brother, Connor, stood stiffly by the fireplace, his ja

ing windows, a tall silhouette ag

person than any photograph could convey. He had dark, penetrating eyes that seemed to s

es. His voice was a low, resonant

a, is three weeks away from defaulting on a deb

. They knew things were bad, but not this catastrophic. From upstairs, the sound of the

ntinued, his gaze unwavering. "And we will inject an addition

lit up Eleanor's eyes. Con

s locked onto Evelyn, pinning her in pla

ight of his next words se

ill ma

ear the frantic pounding of her own heart.

etely blank. It made no

ed, finding her voice. "Evelyn..

s. "I'm aware," he said calmly. "That is precisely why I am m

" or "watching." He'd said he'd been waiting. The implication was staggering-this was not a

aced its way down Evelyn's spine. This

of Evelyn, his protective instincts kickin

udge passing sentence. "This is the only solution on the table. Acc

father's labored breathing from the floor above. The choice wasn't

Delano added one final, cr

h family incurred a debt of honor to the

just business; it was personal, rooted

d, just for a fraction of a second, and his voice dropped to something quieter. "But know this, Evelyn. I am not Jace Welch. When I mak

then he was gone, leaving a vorte

ibly, a marriage contract. Her life had just been sold. But the man who had just boug