side City Ha

ilee's hair a

the marriage certificate cl

st a piec

eaviest thing sh

stood nex

g unbothered by the cold or

nt, who was already holding out a second,

ature. Consider it a condition of our arrangement. A non-disclosure agreement. A sil

the paper to his co

the rea

ut her silence, legally weapo

ifferent kind, but o

igned, her signature a

with a commanding presence. "We need

Emilee's phone buzzed fr

she pull

from Harper, h

oaded on t

ppo lighter, the flame lit, h

f her mother

e had restored

s hand

nic flooded

ng the only thing t

e time for thi

d to face

s billionaire was, and a wave of genuine guil

f her jeans, pulling out two

the cash sh

ping the bills into his warm palm

s her genuine promise of compensation, even th

oked down a

stared back at him

y do

s eyes narrowing

eld up h

ckly typed

million dollars is my real compensation

read th

w tigh

eathered i

?" he asked, his vo

ving him a small,

she spun around and flagged

halt, and she dove

shouted, ste

sed a hand,

y dollars and the marriage certificate

e taxi merge

h esca

sharp, and d

ed me," h

at the b

is expression a complex mix o

f billions, a man whose hourly asset fluctuations amoun

dollars by a young girl who looked barely twent

ely angered by the

Maybach

oor, looking like he was

is voice trembling. "

slid into

rior did nothing to th

he forty dollars onto the leather seat next to him. "I want t

ady on it, sir. I pulled the secur

he tablet t

s grainy, bl

room of the club, moments be

r the sink, splashi

nd, she looked u

caught he

paused

oome

s smeared, revealin

tructure w

ight, her jawline

was h

iny footage, th

rg

res

fami

sle f

back of his mind, someth

gotten after years of corporate

dn't pl

a spy," Archer ventur

e sneered. He handed the tablet back

Emilee deliberately left her he

dark look would scare off the impen

eless"

mute"

ragil

d her phon

't work on

verage

she had

the folded marriage certificate

i slowe

ing up to the

belonged to her and her late mother, but in reality, it h

very business deal he made, wa

her died, her father im

new family to humilia

even the servants had begun to

y was lined

sive

pa

cou

a while threatening to

paid th

idn't

ldn't a

ut onto the g

air hit

elt e

ner

e hood of her

ard at the gate

sne

ain?" he

idn't lo

m, her boots crunc

e music coming fr

ght

king of

like a diff

ound to the s

ng to walk in

t

see the batt

e glass patio do

was standing in the

, holding a gla

oked

who had just made a

her hand on

ion stared

a

erm

girl who ran out of

married

ed the d

with her, extinguis