Battl

of sentimental handcrafted metal. Ju

lickered like rapid lightning, illuminating

edge of the crisp white legal docum

violently against his chest. Alec casually tossed the box aside into the

smile spread across his lips. But when he looked back

g from his chair. "Finish your dinn

me to clear his name, and then

old calculations, and hollow c

razor-sharp: "Alec. Can't you stay for just si

at me with condescending irritation. "Do I really ne

nce, maybe twice. In his worl

red of tension inside me suddenly evaporated. I l

ispered. "

ared the filing, we would be nothing to each othe

Lync

fic had ground to a complete halt ben

drum of heavy rain against reinforced glass. Through the tinted panoramic window, my eyes cut

t a lone, fragile f

ide, turned his back on her, and walked out without sparing her a second glance. She sat there alone amidst the empty

ouis answered a secure line, hol

ine. She mentioned an expedited legal filing regarding an emergency divo

. My jaw hardened benea

level and unyielding. "I don't m

ished and professional: "Apologies, Miss Sinclair. Mr. Lynch does

r. Minutes passed, and the solitary figure finally pushed her chai

Battl

out of the restaurant,

itter and raw, biting straight thr

o. Shivering uncontrollably, I pulled out my phone, intending to call the shop di

, but the voice an

rough the speaker: "Oh, Jolene? I wouldn

a private rooftop party to

n he wants to be... he even hired an entire a

s was nothing more than ca

inated the call. But as I stepped toward the curb, my kn

rail, a pair of broad, warm arms caught me from b