ting a pale, ghostly light on her face as she watched the sun rise over the manicured lawns of the estate. The div

s pale, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion, but there was a ne

ring business empire. A strategic alliance. For her, it had been the culmination of a secret, girlhood crush on the formidab

er that you couldn't warm a block of ice by hol

ening downstairs echoed throug

walked out of the bedroom. She descended the grand, curving stairc

... a faint, cloying scent of perfume. It wasn't Seraphina's signature gardenia scent. It was something floral and unfamiliar. The realizat

omething unreadable-surprise? annoyance?-crossed his face be

The words were level, stripped of all emo

rowed. "What do y

ead, she held out the b

d it open. His eyes scanned the cover page, and when they landed on the bold, capital

ng. Julian tossed the folder onto the polish

se?" His voice was a

behind her back to stop them from shaking. "

ntil she could feel the heat radiating from his body. She smelled the lingering scent of that other woman's per

d his lips. "A divorce? And go where?

he creation of this union. But she refused to let him see her flinch. "

r wrist, his grip like iron shackles. The sudden, intimate contact sent a jo

n that was both a caress and a threat. He leaned down, bringing h

ends," he murmured, his voi

She let out a bitter laugh. "Why? Afraid of the boardroom

raw fury igniting in the depths of

his tie as if to compose himself through the gesture. He

cold. His gaze swept over her, dismissive and insult

ss. He only saw a transaction, a betrayal. He reduced her desperate