place she'd painstakingly built to escape his world. She remembered the contempt in his eyes the day he'd left her, a look that said she was an inconvenience he was

gaze from Killian to Caleb, her voice dropping to an icy, professional m

verbal strike. He moved from behind the desk, his steps silent and deliberate, closing the distance between th

rmur meant only for her. "Three

burned, her entire body screaming in protest. She put a han

"Azura, please, just listen! The SCG case... it's our

because she's afraid," he said, his voice returning to a normal, conversational volume that felt more menacing

e. I simply lack the experience to handle a case of this magnitude for a conglomerate like Sinclair C

reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and produced a folded document,

lready signed the engagement letter on your behalf. If you breach the c

ed from her face. "Caleb," she whispered, the name

, couldn't meet her eyes. He stared at the floor, his shoulders slu

al toxin. He watched the shock curdle into fury, then collapse into despair. She knew he was cataloging every flicker of pa

must seem like an impossible sum for you right now. Or perhaps you'll ask your f

always press. "You have no right to talk about my fami

nd scrambling for an escape route. "This isn't valid

n through her. He calmly flipped to the last page and pointed to a clause. Attached was a separate, notarized letter of authorization, signed by Caleb, gr

owhere to go. He leaned over her, his body caging hers in. He lowered hi

The daughter of a bankrupt criminal. You have no power

body shook with a rage so profound it felt like it would tear her apart. The embe

words to her before he was senten

his fingers tracing the line of her jaw before moving to tilt her chin u

mething cold and hard. "Don't forget your place," he commanded,

office to the ground. But the number echoed in her head. Twenty million dollars. It was a mountain she cou

e. In that moment, she understood his motive. It wasn't about the case. It was about ownership

now felt like the cruelest poison. His coldness, Caleb's betrayal-it was

th, and when she opened them again, the