iana

before my personal satellite phone

thorns. Desmond Sullivan. My father. Patriarch of

peakerphone

ion of how I was holding up. No acknowledgment of Gabe's betrayal. "Marcus Black called me ten minutes ago. Gab

measured rhythm. "Gabe was orchestrating a fraudulent takeover

y; you allowed your pride to fracture an alliance." He paused, his breath rattling shallowly. "Pack Elder Vance from the Northern Ridge territory los

-old tyrant whose previous two mates had di

I am not pack chattel to be traded away

hat else do you imagine you are worth on the open market? You obey my di

ispered, and e

ears. He wasn't just disciplining me; he was trying t

he office, locking the deadbolt behind her. Her youn

ther's legal team. Desmond is petitioning the corporate board to suspend your executive clearance immediately. They're

teeth ached. "They're mov

Maya said, panicked. "They can seize your accounts, your trust dividends, your phys

nalytical mind racing through calculations. "He

an air-gapped laptop routed through independent offshore proxies

e appeared

n the ocean compared to what was at stake. Hailee's words echoed through my mem

ra empire-tens of millions in rare gems and intellectual property-would be locked in pr

absolute jurisdiction of her ancestral patriarch. But a mated f

azer pocket, brushing against

Sinc

ower, and royal bloodlines that sat at the pinnacle of continental commerce. Nobody knew what rank Caden h

one, dialed the silver-em

on the se

led. No greeting. Just raw, latent power th

. It's Audria

ver the line. "You took longer t

e crisp, professional, and devoid of trauma. "I don't need charity, and I don't need a savi

table?" Caden asked smoothly.

mber. The platinum celestial cuff, encrusted with black diamonds and raw s

n the other e

ith the piece,"

I said, laying down my card. "And she is currently sitting at a desk

d through the receiver-the

urmured. "The Sinclair Tower, seventy-se

ne wen

ya, whose eyes we

es, Maya," I said, closing the laptop