MARRYING A RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

Rain hammered the windshield, blurring the world outside into a smear of gray and neon. The smell of gasoline choked the air, mixing with the thick, copper scent of blood until it coated the back of her throat.

Annalise gasped, her lungs fighting for air that wouldn't come. The steering wheel was a solid bar of crushing weight against her chest, pinning her to the leather seat. Every breath sent a sharp, tear pain through her ribs.

She tried to move her arms. Her fingers twitched against the soaked fabric of her dress. Warm. Sticky. She looked down and saw the dark stain spreading across the red silk, dripping onto the ruined console.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She was supposed to be at the manor. She was supposed to be celebrating.

A sudden chime cut through the deafening drumming of the rain. The screen of her phone, sitting on the passenger seat amid the shattered glass, lit up. The harsh white glow stabbed at her eyes.

The phone vibrated, skittering across the seat until it rested against the gear shift. The screen flashed an incoming call. It automatically connected to the car's Bluetooth system, the speakers crackling to life.

"Is it done?"

Greggory's voice filled the crushed cabin. It was a tone she had never heard him use before. There was no warmth, no practiced tenderness. Just a raw, hungry impatience that made her blood run colder than the rain outside.

Annalise's fingers spasmed. She tried to reach for the phone, to scream his name, but her arm felt like it was filled with lead. Her nails scraped against the wet leather, leaving smears of red.

A soft, girlish laugh echoed through the speakers. Alta. The sound was sweet, poisoned honey.

"The brakes failed perfectly, didn't they?" Alta said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "She never suspected a thing."

Annalise's eyes widened. The air left her lungs completely, not from the pressure on her chest, but from the sudden, freezing realization that froze her heart solid.

Brakes. They cut the brakes.

"She was always too trusting," Greggory said, a smirk evident in his voice. "She handed me the keys herself."

Annalise's hand finally found the phone. Her trembling fingers smeared blood across the screen, but she couldn't grip it. It slipped, falling back to the console. The speakerphone stayed on.

"By the time they find her, we'll be in the clear," Alta continued, the sound of clinking glass in the background. "The Knowles media shares will finally be ours."