Each step felt heavier than the last,

hers. Soft cream walls, antique French oak furniture,

ld. It was a museum exhibit

the closet and pulled a heavy Louis Vuitton duffel bag from th

irst trip to Paris with her father, before he die

gan to

anic

ici

sitat

ing her personal company data, her father's old notebook-the one where he had

d anything. Sh

rror. Several framed family ph

t a company picnic. Her and Fi

ocking the silver frames face down into the trash can. The gl

one bu

her best friend, the only person in

n speaker as she tossed a pair

"Are you ready for our dinner reservation at Le Bernardin? I am starv

" Allison stated flatly

n. "Why? Wha

Cheyanne screwing

milee unleashed a string of creative, high-deci

I am going to castrate him with a butter knife!

most smile

gement ring to Cheyanne," Allison con

e, raw scream of disbelief and fury. T

d. "They did WHAT? Where are you right now?

duffel bag and pulled it shut. "I'm leaving

nd a baseball bat waiting for you. We're going to des

strap dug painfully into her collarbone, but the physical discomfort kept her

used by the staff. She would not walk through the main foyer. She woul

rough the massive

ng vegetables, his eyes wide with conf

rk night. The cold air hit her face, clearing her head. She walked two blocks down the aven

he told th

eviewed the Montgomery Group's shareholder structure. Her father had left her twenty-five percent of the voting shares.

ng. He would try to strip her of her voting rights. He would argue that she was "unstable," "emotionally c

ne whose name alone would make the board think twice before crossing her

wling space with exposed brick walls, a massive skylight, and a kitchen island that had seen more therapy session

. 5, the same kind her mother used to wear before everything went wro

the kitchen island, and poured a full shot of Pa

Emilee

inching. The liquor burned a fiery trail down h

er of the loft. Allison sat down, resting her e

id. "Baker is going to use this to take everything m

e Six. We ruin Finn's reputation. We burn them to the ground socially. Finn's mother Eulal

would tank Montgomery stock. That hurts my own in

rriage of convenience. Someone with enough capital to make Baker b

ot talking about the Kensington patriarch, are you? Adam Kensington? That old fox who

her quiet, unwavering si

bespoke charcoal suit. The terrifying, suffocating aura of power. The heat o

the ones that had seen straight through her calm facade at the airport. Eyes th

en, dangerous resolve. "What do

ss coffee table with a loud clatter, spill

n, you'

coming Finn's untouchable aunt is t