d gathered every piece of information he could find about the connecti

n more extensive t

y knew. Erik had been involved with the company thro

own was how often the

nd the Sweet

rapidly acros

h. The marketing strategy included a dedicated website, a short promotional

enough to give a small bakery the appearance of a luxur

had come f

ly turned a

appeare

ag

as that Erik was scheduled to

documents and settled on the

rson who knows ab

. He had known this question

has he bee

ated for half a sec

es narrowed

rd for several years. Mr. Erik has personally

w this a

sn't loud. It d

oice became more careful. "I knew abou

didn't re

e's safety. Mr. Erik had

laying dum

ed him. Declan und

ther Erik posed a phy

lking about s

much more

en the two stepbrothers had been carved out of years of resentment, old

ent out of his reports because he'd known ex

ding in the middle

lvement was relevant to

en's gaze dar

ilence stretche

Erik has been visiting Ashford more f

n remained unreada

aused. "Most meetings

en w

usually staye

perfectly still a

ued before Lu

t nearly every Sweetheart meeting,

e as permission to con

rts, the discussions often continued

lifted from

hing

mentioned that Mr. Erik had become..

?" Lucien as

r. Ashford's i

you

ed unanswered. Decl

ant as the silence between them grew heavy, then

nara before Lu

while, Lucien had spent days manipulating entire hospital systems

distance, playing the ghost, Erik ha

Lucien's chest

ke what mattered to him. Not after Claire. Not aft

me everything rel

ding, "Ms. Hale will be pr

ze lifted.

his watch. "In l

stood, straightening the fron

edule. I'll attend the

ctionist who strictly adhered to his schedule. Somehow,

away. I'll make t

hout looking at him. "We're

slow nod. "I

watch from the desk.

s,

flawlessly cold. "If Erik i

small nod again, before turning toward

ttled once more

oser to Inara, Lucien woul

ip the ches

d do it exa

early ten minutes when the ne

ed thinking about the executives sitting around t

ely on traditional ce

d to the n

f lifestyle and food influencers whose aud

ed closer to the

short-form series built

slide a

ordering a small gift for a friend. Someone buying a

ns," Inara continued. "That's

with quiet, unb

w the numbers, understood the market, and, more imp

ile touche

he'd always li

ntirely ordinary and make

leaned slightly toward Er

m the presentation. "I'm

h, s

quiet, Mr

anything else, three quiet, deliberate

eacted a

ntinued

an intimidating premium product, we're

oor o

caught halfway

ce. His expression changed in

er stood in

val. No one had invited him. Yet somehow, the very air in the

ers around the t

turned. Her words died in her throa

. Every primal survival instinct in her head screamed a sudden, deafen

er for one quiet second. Th

pped o

silence

nd beneath it, something much colder. A

ht it. So

Inara, his expression once agai

said carefully, ris

rief nod. "I hope I

ntation screen. Then at E

began forming on his face. "No,

to Erik again. "Am I

place his irritation with a perfectly constructed smile a second

den beneath the polite corpo

r

make one thing unmistakably clear. If anyone was g