LOGINShe turned a page. No emphasis. "They agreed." No one in the room needed more than that. "Rotterdam," George said. "Two families," Alicia said. "Both meetings ran long. Same underlying concern, different language. We answered it both times. Follow-up is scheduled." "Documentation," Catherine sa
Edward's POV The term sheet had been in my inbox since the previous night. Four pages. Clean. Volkov's committee had approved the access deal exactly as the projection had asked for. Southeast Asia. The Gulf. East Africa. The network layer intact. The timeline fixed. Nothing negotiated down. I se
Alicia's POV His arm was across my waist when I woke. The room was grey with early light, the city outside still quiet, the type of quiet that belongs to the hour before a place fully commits to its day. I lay still for a moment. The weight of his arm. The warmth of the room. The dress lying acros
Her hands moved from my shoulders to my face, her palms cupping my jaw, her thumbs stroking my cheeks. It was a gesture of such unexpected tenderness it nearly undid me. Her eyes, dark and dazed, locked onto mine. In them, I saw not the woman I had wronged, but the woman I was with, in this moment,
Her hand anchored hard against the back of my head, fingers tangling in my hair, holding me exactly where she needed me. For a moment, I wasn't the man who had failed her. I was just a man giving her pleasure. She said my name once, twice, the third time broken completely, and her whole body arched
Edward's POV Her mouth was on mine when I got the door open. I walked her backward into the room, the city lights filtering through the window in thin strips that barely illuminated the space. Her hands were already at my collar, working open the buttons of my shirt with an urgency that sent a jol
"How sweet." Vivienne's smile didn't falter. "Why don't you sit down, sweetheart? You look pale. Let me get you something. Tea? Or maybe some juice?" "I'm good. I'd pass." "You should have something," she insisted, already moving toward the cabinet. "Something warm. Tea is good for settling nerve
Alicia's POV I moved down the terrace steps with my head low. Harrison's voice still echoed somewhere behind me. Edward caught in that sound, pulled away before I could reach him. The night air touched my face, soft at first, then bit down sharply. I didn't pull away. I needed something that felt
I was already moving. Corridor widened. Gallery entrance ahead. Ceiling higher, ambient light brighter. Music floated out. Violins threading a slow, elegant piece. Felt obscene. Wrong. Voices swelled. Laughter, clinking silverware, murmurs. Too many people, too much noise. I pushed through the ar
Alicia's POV I woke to the sterile quiet of the hospital room, the faint hum of machines blending with the slow tick of the wall clock. Morning light spilled thinly through the blinds, pale and sharp. I pressed my face against the crisp pillow, wishing I could disappear into it. My body ached in w







