lently as a ghost. He presented Chloe with a simple black dress, practical flat shoes, and a b

his voice neutral. "We'll stop at a clinic fi

to every detail. At the discreet, private clinic, a doctor examined her ankle, wrapping it professionall

se said. "You were never here. You never met anyone. D

Chloe replied calmly, earning a f

eighborhood. He handed her an envelope thick with cash. "For your immediate expenses," he said, and then

er was the first thing that had felt real in twenty-four hours. She leaned against t

attan, Julian's executive assistant, Ava

check on Chloe

e: her mother, Eleanor, in a long-term care facility with astronomical medical bills. And her stepfather, Rick

focus. He saw not just a victim, but a fighter, someone held down by

gently. "About her

d procedure," he said, his voice clipped and

never brought women to his home. He never ordered background checks on one-night distractions.

e hotel, the car, the penthouse. Now, sitting at her small desk, her laptop open, she was devouring every piece of information sh

the first move in a war she had to win. She wasn't

cking her every move. It was the kind of man he was. The thought