LOGINLeo stood then, unfolding himself from the chair with a slow, deliberate grace. He took a step toward her, his presence filling the room, his eyes locked on hers. “No choice?” he echoed, his voice smooth and mocking. “I gave you a day to decide. You waited until the last minute, and now here you are… breaking my rules.”She felt her heart race in her chest as he closed the distance between them, his gaze like fire on her skin. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t back down. She couldn’t. “I didn’t come here to argue about rules, Leo. I came to tell you—”He cut her off, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. “Do you really think you can come into my world and make demands? Do you think you are in any position to negotiate?”The proximity between them was intoxicating, and though every instinct screamed at her to step back, she stood her ground, defiant. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the overwhelming sense of power he carried with him like a shadow. For a long, te
Susan’s breath hitched, her pulse quickening. She could feel her resolve slipping, the fear for her brother creeping in like a shadow over everything else. But there was something more—something about Leo’s casual cruelty that both terrified and intrigued her. He was dangerous in a way that made her want to run, yet she couldn’t seem to stop her heart from racing every time he was near.“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “You can’t ask me to do this.”Leo’s smile softened, almost as if he found her resistance charming. “I’m not asking, Barbie. But you have until tomorrow. I suggest you think carefully.”Susan stood abruptly, her shoes scraping against the floor. She couldn’t sit there any longer, feeling trapped in his gaze, in the invisible strings he was pulling. She needed air. She needed to get away from him.Without another word, she turned and left the café, her heart pounding in her ears. The cool air outside did little to calm her. Her mind raced, replaying his words over and
Of course he did, Susan thought warily, but aloud she said, “I can imagine he does,” She hadn't meant to sound judgemental even though that was the way she felt, but she obviously didn't do a very good job because Leo smiled again, as if her disapproval amused him. She shook her head, “I'm sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” “Oh you did,” said Leo, still smiling as he relaxed in his chair, “You think we're bad people, don't you?”“I… I… I don't think my thoughts matter in any way here,” she stammered,” And it's none of my business either. I'm more concerned about my brother's situation…”A waitress in uniform approached their table to take her order. Susan ordered a bluebird smoothie and waited for the waitress to leave before she continued speaking. “You're not going to go after him again. Are you?”“I haven't gone after him again… At Least not yet,” said Leo remorselessly, “You bought him some time, but I still want my money. One way or another,” The scent of freshly brewed cof
Susan drove slowly to the address Leo had given her, and tried to figure out where her life was headed when she was making decisions like this. When she'd planned to move, this was the last thing she'd ever thought of doing, and yet here she was, making a delivery for Leo Spencer. She gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white from the pressure. The hum of the engine seemed louder in the dead silence of her anxiety.The address he'd given was a car wash. Something Susan found very weird, but as she thought about it she realized that it was actually a good cover. No one would expect that anything shady would be going on in a place like this, and with her being the delivery person, well, no one would suspect her either. She glanced at the brown, sealed package next to her handbag on the passenger seat and looked away immediately. It just sat there, taunting her with its mysterious weight. Never in her entire life did she think that she'd one day be terrified of a damn box, but yet
Susan drove slowly to the address Leo had given her, and tried to figure out where her life was headed when she was making decisions like this. When she'd planned to move, this was the last thing she'd ever thought of doing, and yet here she was, making a delivery for Leo Spencer. She gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white from the pressure. The hum of the engine seemed louder in the dead silence of her anxiety.The address he'd given was a car wash. Something Susan found very weird, but as she thought about it she realized that it was actually a good cover. No one would expect that anything shady would be going on in a place like this, and with her being the delivery person, well, no one would suspect her either. She glanced at the brown, sealed package next to her handbag on the passenger seat and looked away immediately. It just sat there, taunting her with its mysterious weight. Never in her entire life did she think that she'd one day be terrified of a damn box, but yet
Susan arrived at Rotry park the following evening at exactly 4pm. She had taken care not to be late, so she'd hurried up at the office and closed early after speaking to her boss. Having no idea what part of the park to stay, she ended up wandering for about two minutes. Looking around and finding neither Leo or any of his men, she settled at a quiet part of the park that didn't have a lot of people around. She felt guilty, and ashamed, knowing that whatever a man like Leo wanted her to do was going to be bad. Samuel was unaware of the fact that she she'd met with Leo and if he did he'd be furious with her, but she was trying to help him, and this was the only way she knew how to without getting him in trouble. She sat and waited for thirty long minutes, and just as she began to wonder if Leo was actually going to show up, he did. Dressed in jeans and a black hoodie. Typical bad guy outfit, she thought. Asher was with him, but he stood several paces behind while Leo came to join her
Oh, she’d wanted him so badly. His heat and his hands on her. Wanted the electricity that danced between them. Wanted his danger, his wicked edge. Wanted his hunger for her to consume him as much as she was consumed by her own. And it had. She’d loved him ripping her nightie from her and her lacy
“The staff will introduce themselves to you properly tomorrow morning,” Cedric told her as he led her upstairs, then added as she turned and met his gaze, “You look tired,”“I am,” Anna replied softly, unable to say anything else. “It's been a long, weird day,” Cedric nodded in agreement, “I agree
A lump rose in her throat. She’d loved her father, but he hadn’t loved her. He’d never said it to her, hadn’t ever demonstrated it to her. She’d been the baby he hadn’t wanted, the child that had ruined his career. A lasting reminder of what his beloved wife had wanted and didn’t survive long enoug
He did have her try on numerous wedding dresses before finally approving some white silk and tulle concoction, accented with gilt thread, that Anna told herself she didn’t care about. Yet at the same time, as she looked at herself in the mirror, she was conscious of a strange ache somewhere deep in







