Playing Blind: The CEO's Ultimate Test

shield was still too bright, making him wince. His eyes, a cold, piercing gray, were bloodshot and rimmed with irritation, the lingering result of a severe eye

ther?" he asked, his voice a l

l upholstery. She adjusted the sleeve of her couture jacket, her expression pinched with distaste at their surroundings. "The trust is unequivoca

apping a restless rhythm on the worn steering whe

leading up to their weddings. It wasn't a curse; it was a pattern. Someone within his circ

hat is precisely why we are proceeding this way

ulian's lips. "Bait. That's

s, no powerful family. Desperate for money. If someone makes a move on her, they'

ent stranger into their blood sport, but he couldn't deny the strategy's brutal efficiency. She would be protecte

ght have been genuine concern. "Especially with your eyes in this state. The

nto place. The relief was immediate, the sharp stab of daylight dulled to

immaculate leather piece that had cost more than this entire car-and

y the cynicism of his world. Her eyes were clear, a soft hazel. He flipped the page. Student at a second-rate art school, drowning in debt, working mu

ust like all the others, only cheaper. A commodity to be p

the cover story is set. You are Julian Montgomery, but we will be... economi

Julian asked, his vo

is the key to breaking the f

ieve in stars or fate. He bel

nd out of place in her faded dress. She clutched a worn handbag, her posture radiating a n

erfec

ning just enough. This meeting required a version of him that was unreadable-not hostile, not warm, simply pre

"Let me go first. She's probably terrified. A fam

such thing as a terrified girl when a million dollars

watching through the dark glass as his mother approached the girl on the steps. He could feel the curious stares of passersby, the whispers starting at the sigh

IV, a predator at the top of the food chain. And for now, he had to play the part of an enig

n the door an