e will handl

Sterling offered, a thick, heavy piece of cardstock with embossed bl

ke this had staff to handle unpleasantri

ndow of the Rolls

ly. Om

evealing a sliver of the

ke a Roman statue. The ambient gray light of the stor

diated from the car, a palpable force

e drumming of the rain. As she did, a gust of wind blew a sheet of water off th

her compos

he called out, her voice sharp with annoyance.

lacing himself between Liana

lite but with an underlying edge of

der, Liana's eyes met

d. A jolt of primal fear, the kind a rabbit feels when it realizes the shadow overhead is a hawk,

r, the same ones that had burned into her memory only hours ago. It was Julian Carlisle. The

in, overriding her anger. This

hard, forcing

rds stiff and reluctant. "I will

dn't even blink. He simply gave a slight

manded, his voi

ing him away in his sile

celerated, its rear tire hit a deep puddle, sending

on the hem of Liana

, staring at the brown stain

trembled

screamed at the disappearing taillights,

irror. His boss's expression was as cold and unreadable as ever. Sterling had a sin

estate in the Upper East Side. The arrival of the Phantom caused an immediate sti

tives immediately fell silent, their fawning conversations cut short. They tur

e. Richard and Margaret were busy schmoozing with a minor banking heir, their backs

h of the mansion. A butler silently appeared to t

The string quartet seemed to falter, the volume of their

lap of thunder rattled the windows, a dr

She stared at the muddy stain on her skirt, a burning humiliation coiling in her gut. She was on

iness card lay untouched. A

k's sycophantic welcome with a single, dismiss

ook a deep, shaky breath. She plastered a brittle, perfect smile on her face, t

ready fo