The Soufflé of Sweet Revenge

Lan

ense. I poured myself into my family's affairs, focusing on the Herrera Hospitality Group, the sprawling empire my father had been urging me to join. It was a whirlwind of

up on my old phone number, the one I

getting old, Emma. Just tell me what you want. I'm willing to

faint, distant amusement. He still thought this was a game, a power

"No need to talk, C

even marry you after... after everything? You're playing games. Trying

s. He truly believed he was irreplaceable, that I was

sacrificing my own dreams, my own identity, for a man who saw me as nothing more than a convenient accessory. T

pressed "Block." Then I deleted the entire conversation. I

knowing it wouldn't go through, but it felt rig

notoriously ruthless food critic and investor. The heir to the Herr

ld when I was still dreaming of my first pastry shop. He moved with an effortless grace, his dark eyes missing nothing. I remembered him mostly from fami

d been stunned. "Dawson?" I'd asked, my voice barely a whisper. "He'd never a

greed. Witho

estate. There were no flashing cameras, no social media announcements. Just a simple exchange of

favorite. Collin had never remembered that. H

y be a business arrangement, but I promise you this: I will always respect you. I will be loyal. And I will protect you from anything

chased with Collin. But it was something far more solid, far more comforting. It was safety. It was respect. It

Chloe. "You will not believe what just happene

et that promotion? Did you accidentally run into Collin and punch him?" She