THE BILLIONAIRE'S PHOENIX

ess

aw need to understand something, someone, who is a complete mystery. I know it's unp

tting under my skin has never ever happened. Until her. Vanessa Ashfor

in heat? Probably. But for the

et the heavy crystal glass on the mahogany desk. Fourteen days. I've seen her twice in that

read, the more the puzzle deepens. The official story is there-her rise in the fashion world, her business-but I know

e jet for a commercial flight for a change of pace, when I heard a commotion outside near the

it, moving with a fluid, shocking grace. She closed the distance and executed a per

to ignore the usual stares from other passengers. I leaned agains

man by his collar, and pinned him with a knee in his back. Her vo

tealing, go f

r falling like a curtain beside her face. "If men like you sto

t. She let him go with a shove, snatched her

you douchebag!" she hissed, her tone fu

to the spot. I didn't know her name. I didn't know a single thing about her. But I felt an intrigu

n't expected her to be there at all. But then I spotted her across the

was almost black, but then she'd move and a thousand tiny rhinestones would catch the light, shimmering

clothes or mingling with the crowd. Her entire focus was fixed elsewhere, a deep intensity

might be interested in a married man, a man like him, sat in my gut like a stone. I couldn't just

sharp, blue, intelligent eyes-finally met mine, I wanted to freeze the moment. To stretch it out. But she was al

there, I was sure of it. I saw the way she disap

imon and told him to dig up everything on Vanessa Ashford. But the file is thin. She's a vault. Privacy. Discreetness. She's not some

u

through the silence. Simon'

is it,

their tenth email requesting a meeting. Shou

the leather chair behind my desk. Ethan Croft. A man and a company I have given zero

as I speak. "Tell them I'll see them

when I stop him. "There's something else I want you to do. Find out her whereabouts when she was

s, his voice neutral.

ft, but my mind betrays me. It drifts back to the feeling of her shoulder against my chest in that crowded room. How s

rrational, like drive to Manhattan and show up at her apartment door like a

erruption from my own dangerous thoughts. For a moment, I

me

there, her hands folded neatly. "Dinner is serve

s only son off. I slide Vanessa's file back into the locked drawer of my desk, a deliberate action to shut her away

am here, they don't waste a single minute. They su

ce and then my father, who is already seated at the head of the long t

ures for the serving staff to leave us alone. The rich, savory aroma of roasted chicken and herbs fills the air, and for a fleeting second, it takes

my first bite, my father cuts to the chase.

lete. We're just finalizing the shareholder agreements." It's the t

d and continues his meal, takin

etely random. "I went to the Hamilton's tea party today. I met Rebec

y plate. I already know exa

her voice light and hopeful. "Why don't the

I say, focusing on cut

t all the time. You're twenty-seven already, son

t finality. "I'm only twenty-seven, Mom. And I will not be getting married just for the sake o

ng her some version of this answer for the las

mouth with a linen napkin. "A strategic marriage is an integral part of our legacy, Ceron. In the world we live in, it

gs in the air. It

voice cool. I push my chair back an

now?" my mother ask

eet with an invest

is, there's a fucktard who has been locked in a warehouse for the

d it costs them everything. Even their life. Of course. It's a story a

e, the whole picture of a man content with his lot in life. But that's the thing about greed, it paints over contentment. He decide

al data for the 'Aurora Point' project (the very project I just disc

io

you're pledging your allegiance. Crossing me isn't a career risk; it's a life-altering miscalc

on the industrial docks. Forty-eight hours to reflect on that one stupid, greedy mistake. He's had time to realize t

up to the warehouse. The air outside is cold and smells of salt and rust. My head of security, Ma

ce even. "I want to hear what a man who ha

world, consequences aren't a threat; they are a promise.