e isn't the shiel

Enterpris

ied a rare quiet the kind that follow

ding her hands weren't shaking. It had been three days since the press conference. Thre

e silence w

ard was silent. But silence

s str

evator

woman with bright red lipstick ste

d me

as the Ice Queen of Southwest Corporate Banking. She

said, voice like glas

in a

ermission, just strolled past the

p her. But her pu

ter, Steve's of

oolly. "Didn't expect

ed to

e. Sandra

icked to Sandra. "

ompany didn't crumble,"

stepped

as all teeth. "The

e Of

ct posture. "Vivienne is still speaking to press a

credited,"

That's more

"What do you w

We've lost three contracts in forty-eight hours

nds curled

s a way to stop it. A show

e you su

mer

lenched. "Abs

Combine assets. Share losses. The boar

you get?" S

during transition. Six m

e growled. "You

il Friday. Take the merger, o

ssive. But in the real world, emotion

shut be

unched

ouse Ni

teve was quie

kitchen barefoot, pourin

ing in spiral

"I don't want to l

n do

t about you. Ag

about truth," she sa

her hand

" he wh

't w

is. I need to know you understan

not a

s forehead to

mouths collided. No he

hun

nter, his hands under her shirt, p

loose, and he swept everything off the cou

ered silence, they clung to each othe

ment, nothing

the

the

t t

r Archives

terprises, following a lead. Steve's father's transfer documents the

to know

visited. But deep in the back, among old r

ipped

e it

- 12% shares tran

ull

ials

yes w

hoto, ran ba

s office. "I found it. Your father di

ed up,

partner. Someone

s face

aid. "That's

Truth

ather started the company. He left when I

d n

could be behind this. Feeding in

's trying to take

wly. "And he's u

ned. "Then we

Night P

tayed

tti

emi

a count

er," Sandra said. "We

k retal

leeding. May as

in how you ended up saving

m. "Because y

Statem

company issued a s

s given to a silent partner: Daniel Lancaster, estrange

a explod

elsewhere toward Daniel. Towa

the son cleaning up

Sa

ng strings with in

oom Show

droom after everyone left, the glo

they vote,

nd

e the merger, I st

is hand. "

nod

ly, turne

de me," he said.

eath c

. "Not just here. No

Then let's wi

nd. Then her nec

ghts, power and passi