Tempting the billionaire
her finger-warm, like a heartb
idn't sleep
he dark sky bleed into the grey edge of dawn. Her thoughts were a
helped destroy
mbered t
nce that
ething whispered between her and her mother-
and the epicenter was the man who ran Blackthor
n a sleek navy pantsuit, hair swept
he boardroom, the
asn't th
the far end, the one
t the gaze of one man burn
r Casti
lished, soft-spoken, sha
ee cup toward her
something behind his eyes
precisely two
tened like soldi
pcoming merger, referencing key reports she hadn't even sent yet-Seraphina fel
eryone
re ches
astien approached he
ally met," he said, his voice
esisting the twitch of discom
smi
tion, I
hat depends on the secr
rk didn
lever tends to survive aroun
idn't
brightest just befo
evator
inside wit
sealed envelope on her desk.
a single
ny.
fa
e a younger Da
ked like
conspi
word was scrawl
AI
's breath
y her father stood with his shoulders slightly behind Darius'
ked in shadow, but with a gloved hand resting
the photo in
idn't wait for Da
ent t
penthouse wit
the fireplace, w
her you've discovered something.
e photograph
pla
tudi
Just a w
ng when that w
t. "You knew
es
rked to
a t
didn't you
wine down, hi
n't simple. And becau
g. "Don't you dare speak to me l
aid. "That's why I
ed for he
di
of Blackthorn Corp. Before it bore my name. Before we chose to
ugh was bitter. "Yo
rected. "Because the people w
er eyes. "So w
lked to the window, lo
be he was just desperat
isted. "What
unters. Let them breach our
oice dropped.
magical heir. You, me-everyo
umbled
moth
. "They found your fami
rashed be
d barely
ou stop him?"
tri
pa
But by the time I discovered
nds tr
Because I'm his daughter? Becaus
stepped
close because yo
thumb traced her cheekbone
ivor, Seraphina. You're
shed against
aven't real
rtment, Seraphina stood
ognize the wom
grief left
y f
y f
finger pulsed
erstood something
asn't sa
forgi
become... was already ai