LOGINSusan’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
Leonard Spencer had met a lot of people in his thirty three years, and in his line of business, nothing really surprised him or intrigued him that much anymore. People respected him…Actually, they were mostly afraid of him, and he had no issues with that. They knew what he was capable of when he actually put his mind to it, and so they tried not to upset him, but clearly this woman standing before him didn't know enough about him, and for some reason he didn't quite understand, it intrigued him. She had long blonde hair… It was the first thing he'd noticed the first time he saw her. It reminded him of those Barbie dolls his cousins used to play with when they were kids, hence the reason why he couldn't stop calling her Barbie. She had it in a ponytail just like the last time too, and it emphasized her facial features and pretty neck, although Leo had a feeling that wasn't what she intended whenever she put her hair up like that. Her skin looked soft and her make up was light. Just s
It was the Duke’s fault, of course. All of this was his fault. If he hadn’t been the man she'd met beside the lake, the man who’d made her lose her temper and nearly slap him. If he hadn’t been that man, then none of this would have been a problem.She would have accepted his proposal without if no
“However, it’s not for you, I can see that,” he murmured, because now that he’d piqued her interest it was time to send her on her way to think about it. “Your father must be waiting for you. Please don’t allow me to keep you.”Anna stared at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing. Some part of
“Actually, people agree to the strangest things when money is involved.” He gave her another smile, non-threatening and pleasant. “But I can see you’re not convinced. Well, that’s fine. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Pushing himself out of the armchair, he rose to his feet. “Don’t fret, Anna.
“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







