The Triple Cross: Billionaire's Blood Debt

is a lot of money for

my cramped apartment, my palms pressing into the threadbare fabric until the rough fibers bit into my skin. The ai

world of peeling wallpaper and flickering fluorescent lights. His suit cost more than I had earned in t

my ribs, a frantic, uneven rhythm. I could feel a bead of sweat tracing a slow, agonizing

rward. The scent of his expensive cologne was sharp, clashing with the meta

d, a sharp, dry heat that made it hard to swallow. I forced myself to look him in th

replied smoothly. "And now, I

He'll have me thrown out by his

ou bring

palms. The pain was a sharp anchor, keeping me from screaming. I could hear the soft, rhythmic breathing of my

I whispered, the words com

this city. Vane won't be able to look away. He is a man who values legacy above all els

nymore," I said,

s. "You're a woman who buys milk with loose change found in the cushions of this very couch. Don't p

rning with a mix of shame and desperation. He was right. The refrigerator was an empty cavern. Leo

asked, my voice barely audible ov

ur concern is the ten million. F

exactly do you

's at his weakest, give me the access I need to his private servers. He has built a fo

flashed through my mind like a fever dream. The sensation was so vivid I could almost smell the bo

e if he finds

he loses everything.

ast pocket. He tossed it onto the coffee table. It lan

linoleum. He paused with his hand on the knob. "One more thing. Jaxson is throwing a gala tomorrow night at the Va

ike it was crushing my lungs. I stared at the envelope. My heart

am

bby fists. He was wearing his favorite dinosaur pajamas, the ones that were two sizes too small. He looked so much like him. The same dark, unr

y," I said, my voice t

bed onto the sofa and tucked himself under my arm. His war

om work, Leo. Ev

whispered, his smal

settled in my marrow the moment I saw those two blue lines five years a

ere?" he asked, look

e to see a big party?

here be

d out. "There

ndred-dollar bills, more money than I had ever held at once. And beneath the cash, there was a single photograph. It was a shot of Jaxson Vane le

dread. My skin felt tight, a prickling sensation spreading across my chest. I spent the rest of the night staring at that photo. Ev

ore. I was a ghost co

ilk of the emerald-green gown felt like cool water against my skin, but beneath it, I was burning. My heart felt like it was trying to claw its way out of my throat. I che

Leo?"

y bit the prince. He beamed at me, his eyes w

hero," I said, thou

so slick I had to wipe them on a silk handkerchief. The plaza was a monolith of glass and steel, glowing like a beacon in the center of the city. As we stepped out of the

o me," I whis

e air was thick with the scent of lilies and expensive perfume. I scanned

en I s

light. He looked exactly the same, yet entirely different. The power radiating off him was palpable, a physical force that made the air around him seem to

ross the room with a bored indi

ian voids of his eyes narrowed, zeroing in on me with a predatory intensity that made my knees buckle. He didn't move. He just stared, his chest rising a

. "Mama, why is that man

e dropped. H

r with a sound like a gunshot. The amber liquid splashed over his expensive shoes, but he didn't blink. He started toward us, his stride long and purpo

l growl that sent a tremor through my entire body. I felt the electricit

oice surprisingly steady.

d the boy. He looked like he had been struck by lightning.

oice a harsh whisper that cut throu

erdog was finally standing her ground. "His name is Leo," I said, my voice ringi

thing I had ever seen. For the first time in

standing behind me, a thin, triumphant smile on his li

ign over the merger by midnight, he'll never see his son again-because I

xson, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. I wasn't here to

hispered, the word

"Now finish the job, or the boy g

enemy, but the only person who could help me save our son.

n in tactical gear flooded the room. The transition from luxury to war was instantaneous. Jaxson d

axson roared, his voice