community card on the river. A two of clubs.

leaned back, his eyes already feasting on Stella, his victory assured. The way he looked at he

s. She had stood behind him at a hundred games, learned to read his tells the way a sailor

queen and a seven. Not a straight. Not even a pair. Nothi

thrown

nt, she couldn't hear anything over the roaring in her ears. This wasn't a loss of chance. It was a choice. He had ch

s chair back and rose, his bulk moving toward her like a predat

as a frozen lake. Not a single crack in the ice. Not a single flicker of regret. He looked at Stella, his voice cu

ed with the same casual indifferenc

If she looked at him, she would break. And she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her br

damp, his grip too tight, his fingers digging into her hip with proprietary confidence. Stella stiffened but didn't pull

ady working. She had survived seven years in Julian Sterling's world. She had learned thin

now what she was waiting for-Julian had made his choice devastatingly clear. There was no cavalry comi

indows was breathtaking, but Stella felt nothing. She could have been staring at a blank wall. Victor moved to t

g curiosity. She reached for the tone she used with difficult clients, the one that made them feel like the smartest person

ced by amusement. A slow, greasy smile spread across his face. He thought she was flirting. He thought sh

nding. The way one might speak to a clever pet.

how to use her intelligence as both a shield and a blade. Tonight, those lessons were the only thing standing between her and ruin. She controlled the rhythm of the game with surgical precision. She made deliberate, small mistakes

An hour passed. T

knowing Julian's engagement was imminent-was staging a revolt. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Her hands trembled whe

his comments more crude. The veneer of civility was peeling away, reveali

etch it any further. Her mind was fog. Her body was lea

shoved the table aside and advanced on her. The sound o

cold against her back, a sharp reminder that she was seventy floors up with nowhere to go. She stared out at th

indifferent expression as he sent her away. He had known. He had known exactly what

had been sealed the mo

eal time. His breath, a foul mix of alcohol and cigars, washed over her face. A wave of nausea rolled throu

box, devoid of anything she could use. And her s

as tr