City –

s were t

ined dre

sic wa

taker had learned long ago that pain

t and false admiration. Men whispered. Women glared. And somewhere behind the curtain of cigar smo

d over her bare shoulders, thick lashes coated her eyes in smoky defianc

he girl bene

anym

rom behind her, sharp and

Archer's voice was impossible to mistake. Cold.

rve to her lips

"Better. Now go to Table Twelve. The Saudi investor wants a priv

nother game. Another man with too muc

toy," she

skey and something darker. "No, sweetheart

as she turned and walked away

type: foreign investors, cartel contacts, billionaires who pl

new was

of scotch in his hand. His presence commanded silence. Tall, tailored

felt it

did more than just to look, he obsevered, slowly but he did and it was beginning to worry her a little, he looked not just at her body

eyes

sti

away first.

the nearest server, fe

. Billionaire. Cold as hell. Doesn't

O of the Fernando Conglomerate. A man who bought businesses an

as he

at, a hand closed over

s fire flaring behind his eyes. "Good. L

, but she just smiled th

able. "Introduce yourself. Maybe Mr. Fern

ed behind. Every step toward Javie

. Like a man used to being approached, never chasing.

ios

aid softly. "Would yo

ay. He studied her, slowly for

ss. Not her

oke. "What's y

ca bl

sks that,

not n

es locke

ve turned and

di

g in his gaze whi

years, her heart skipped a bea

n't the kind of man

arr

Unbothered.

e them. His presence alone was enough. The room shifted when he walked in shoulders straight, suit sharp enough to cut, th

hen there were his eyes. Icy blue. Cold enough to freeze you in place, yet sharp enough to see through your lies, your weaknesses,

He was the kind of man who made billion-dollar deals with a glance and buried empires with a smile. Th

a saw some

ilence in him a haunted quiet. A man who didn't believe in love because he'd never known it

o didn't chase

cla

a, for the first time in yea

Cracked, bleedi

him more than any