Rising From Ruin: The Billionaire's New Obsession

er grunted, his eyes meeting

er cashmere coat tighter. "Long Isla

up line at JFK. The blizzard had descended on New York without warning, g

Chicago had been cut short, but it meant she could go

s found the familiar weight of the platinum band on her left hand, tracing the cool, smooth circle of her wedding ring. Seven years. It felt like a lifetime and n

e treacherous roads the entire way. Andrea offered

way were buried under a thick, undisturbed blanket of white. Dexter hadn't shoveled. That was unlike him; he was meticulous about the house. Her phone screen lit up with a text from Dexter,

her suitcase up the snow-covered path. Her boots slipped, the cold seeping through

ned with no resistance. The door wasn'

ase traced its w

e air washed over her. The foyer was dimly lit

ut, her voice sounding

ans

re a pair of women's shoes. They were red-soled, impossibly

just skip a beat.

ged to. Breana Reeves, the new associate at Dexter's fir

lent. She slipped off her coat, her hands trembling slightly as she hung it

m-tailored suit jacket-Dexter's-was thrown over the arm of

ch, as if a fist had clenched around her insides. She balle

ttom of the grand s

nd from above. A soft, feminine moan, follow

e master bedroo

felt like they were filled with wet cement. Each step up the carpeted stairs was a monument

r. A sliver of warm, yellow light

at. Her hand, shaking uncontrollably, reached out and pushed

-sized bed. The two bodies, moving together. Dexter, his back to the door, his powerful should

wn until every detail was etche

ed open. They met And

shock in th

She looked directly at Andrea, a glint of pure malice in

, her heel catching on something. She flailed, her hand kno

n crashed to the hardwood flo

gh the room, silencing

k of annoyance at the interruption. Then his eyes found

o panic or guilt. It hardened

the sheet to wrap around his waist. He stood up, completely unconc

e out. She pointed a trembling finger

er naked shoulders. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and

down to her own flat stomach, which she

oice sickly sweet, dripping with pois

violently. She grabbed the doorframe to keep from collapsing. A boy. The

ty. He walked to the nightstand, pulled open the drawer, and

t. It landed on the floor at her feet, skidding across

as cold and sharp as the ice