The Empire He Sold To Her

still reeling from the shock of Collin's final, brutal dismissal, struggled to process the new arrival. For a moment, my thoughts were a tangled mess, a broken reel r

from the tears, but from the frigid r

, resonant voice br

er than Collin, perhaps late forties, with a rugged handsomeness that bespoke a life lived on his own terms. His dark hair was streaked with silver at the temples, and his jawline was

hin and firm, curved into a slight, unreadable smile. "Crying, are we?" he asked, his voice a low rumble, devoid of

he sudden vulnerability was infuriating. I pushed myself up from the plush sofa, my legs feeling

of smug satisfaction in his beady eyes. This was the man who had always facilitated Collin's dirtiest dealings, the one who procured "entertainment" for his business partners. The man who had once tri

ve impeccable taste, even if he didn't appreciate the finer things when he had them." He chuckled, a wet, grating sound. "Though, I must say, Ms. Fuentes, I'm surprised you're the one here tonight. I thought Col

haled a plume of smoke from the cigar he held between his fingers. His eyes, dark

er a man who sees you as nothing more than an accessory, a status symbol he can trade for a better model?" He paused, his eyes n

on. He saw through my crimson dress, through my forced composure, right to the aching, desperate core of my being. I couldn't speak, could only nod, a tiny, involuntary movement that confirmed his damning insight. The sheer audacity of his observatio