His Substitute's Billion-Dollar Secret Empire

r Tat

e like a fist to the gut. For a split second, a primal, protective instin

ound, and pressed her face into my arm. "O

arley' s fault. All of it. If she hadn' t kidnapped Katerina, if she hadn' t tried to force an abortion, if she hadn' t been so dam

king the tremor I felt just moments be

th so much love, were now filled with a hurt so profound it was almost black. The p

is?" she whispered

left me no choice when you took Kat. You threatened my

d in the small, damp room. "Your child? The child you were g

rising. "Before you threw our life away for some rich as

an eerie calm. "I made a fool of you?" she repeated softly. "No, Conno

ent down

at pig, Henderson. "Get out. I'

his eyes still fixed on Har

change my mind about letting you walk out of here at all." My voice

away like th

Oh, Harley, I' m so sorry this happened. Are you alright? Connor

r again, Harley. Don' t you ever come near my child. Do you understan

een through a lot." She was playing the peacemaker, t

life, Kat," I said, looking directly at

expression, I turned and led Katerina out of the room

with me. I was just a broke musician then. Harley, my quiet, unassuming Harley, had stepped between us, looked the man dead in

eld her and whispered,

d and promise

refused to acknowledge. The boy who had needed that protection was gone. I

he dark, I couldn't shake the feeling that I hadn't just ta

urying it under the fresh wave of anger and justif

o belie

Penning

er, leaving me in the cold, stinking room with the tor

n the filthy floor. I wrapped my arms arou

sed to prote

he let anyone lay a hand on me. But that boy was gone. Success and insecurity had poisoned him, twisted him

nd silent. But these weren't tears for him. They were for me. F

or him again. No

cus whom I' d had on standby, stepped inside. He had been tailing me sin

entle. He draped his jacket over

is hand away. I didn't want to be numb. I wanted to feel this. I neede

ce raspy. I stood up, pulling

uelty, Katerina for her greed. I had built his empir

enjoy tearing

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