sidian, Empire City's mo
d shoulders. He made absolutely no effort to conceal the jagged, red scar slashing across his face. Among the p
ves against the walls, lowe
s. Alex stepped into the private VIP room. The air was thick with the s
ate, sat at the head of the table. He rolled a cigar between his thic
rmour, a top-tier socialite. She wore a haute
ng. This was a test. Dempsey was trying to chain his
He grabbed a chair, dragged it back with a loud screech against the floor, and dropped
ed to the horrific scar on his face, then down to his crud
ng that her family's banking connections could provide excellent money-laund
s suit pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack of cheap,
d, he pulled out a scratched, oil-stained metal Zippo. He flicked it open with a loud cla
ensive perfume. She pulled a lace handkerchief from her purse, press
Ashlyn-shivering in the freezing rain, soaked to the bone, yet staring at him with
a forced a tight smile. She tried to engage Alex,
of footwear that entirely broke the dress code of the elite establishment-and
ght. Cora gasped, her body jer
gray ash fell directly onto t
slang of the slums. "It's just overpriced pap
rately lewd and insulting. "You want to talk business with me, princ
ken to like a whore. Her pale face instantly flushed a violent
in bag. She glared at Dempsey. "How dare you
ously against the floor, and stormed out. The
fell de
. "Are you out of your fucking mind, Alex?
d, resting his forearms on his knees. He stared Demp
ng his scarred face. "I don't play house with porcelain do
do marriage. I don't do leashes. If you don't
or any sign of deception, any hint of a deeper agenda.
k and laughed. He reached over and
psey chuckled. The lethal tension in th
s suit jacket, gave a curt no
doorknob when his burner phone-tucked into
he emerg
he phone out. The caller ID flashed
his knuckles turning w
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