t made a faint, buzzing sound, like a trapped fly. He'd meant to tell maintenan
him was bleeding red. Every time he refreshed the page, another investor had pulled out. The Bl
ty, the silence broken only by the hum of the servers and the
s jaw. He reached out blindly for the ceramic mug sitting on the edge of his
ed and se
ways been a fresh cup of chamomile tea waiting for him on the corner of his desk, brewed exa
nervous guy, always neat, always buttoned-up. But tonight, his tie was c
blem," Mark sa
ck drop, Mark," Damia
nt the payment by Friday. And..." Mark hesitated, swallowing hard. "Aeth
at had appeared out of nowhere two years ago and sta
ess, no photos. But they're hosting a charity gala tonight at the Grand Plaza. If we want to st
ose. A gala. He'd have to put on a
answer, the do
t was entirely inappropriate for an office setting, and enough golds. "My black card was declined at the boutique today. I had to leav
ensive bag in her hand, then at the laptop
ave the company, Vivian," he s
out." She walked over to the window, peering out at the city. "Anyway, the shopping trip was a nightmare. There was a woman in
tightened ar
urgery. Elena had been sitting beside him, holding his hand. She had looked at him with those big, earnest eyes
eded to focus on her duties as a wife first. He had
she complained about a crying baby, a si
did
d. He had thrown Elena out in the middle of the night for this wo
Vivian snapped, turning awa
rupted, his voice completel
ped. "Ye
dy. I'm going to
ala? Oh, I have just the d
oldly. He stood up and grabbed his
I am your fiancée. You nee
. Vivian grabbed his arm, her nails digging into his sle
first time, he didn't see the beautiful woman he had ruine
p," he said,
-
g garage was silent. Mark stood besi
ablet. "But the rumors say the CEO of Aethelgard is ruthless. And young. They a
care about rumors. He just
ge, Mark let out a small gasp. "Sir... the official pro
leek, minimalist digital program. At the top, a
d: *Aethelgard Inc. Welc
topped w
d the name again.
coincidence,* he told himself
to the next page. A high-resolut
er eyes sharp and cold. It was the face he had seen
as E
t's main event: *Aethelgard Inc. will auction
breath leaving his lungs. He re
O Elena Sterling smiled and said, 'Tell Damian I finally took
king garage was silent, save for t
the gala. Three hours to face
his life, Damian Blackwood
*
/1/133847/coverbig.jpg?v=ef4cb768cfce1f6c6e93bb748f4f082a&imageMogr2/format/webp)