LOGIN"Finish that sentence." My voice cut across hers. A beat passed. A shift crossed her eyes. Then she said it anyway. "Cleaned houses for people like us." The room went completely quiet. "My mother." I stopped. "Worked with her hands for people who believed that made her less than them. People exac
Alicia’s POV The pen was in my hand. I hadn't moved since the door closed. The page in front of me, the same line, and now I knew someone had been observing me return to it, watching long enough to count each return. I had spent three years believing he never saw the parts that weren't performed.
"He also mentioned Vera Sorel has made her attendance at the follow-up conditional on yours," I said, letting the other piece of the weight land between us. "He wanted me to know that." The pen halted in her hand. She took a breath, slow, through her nose, and the line of her throat moved once befo
Edward's POV Phillip arrived at twenty past ten. He settled into the chair across my desk and set his coat on the arm of it. The draft was already in his hand before he opened his mouth. "Signed and filed as of this morning. Your name on the minority position. Clean." He set a single folded page
"I don't know." "You said it to him. Not here." The pause that followed remained too long to be casual. "What are you afraid of?" I didn't rush it. "That I'm seeing it right. And it still falls apart anyway." She shook her head slightly. "That's not uncertainty. That's you refusing to close y
Alicia's POV Elena didn't turn when I came in. She was at the counter, spoon hovering over a bowl she hadn't touched in a while. The kettle had gone cold long enough to feel intentional. My bag hit the floor by the door. She didn't look at it. "You came back wrong." "I came back two days ago."
Ice crawled into my veins. “Edward—” “Surgery. ICU. Medications. Physical therapy. Monitoring equipment.” He ticked them off, each word precise. “It all adds up quickly. Tens of thousands so far. More to come.” The numbers felt like a countdown. “Stop,” I whispered. “I’m just reminding you of the
Alicia's POV The house was lit when I pulled into the driveway. Every window glowed warm against the dark. Edward’s Mercedes-AMG GT63 sat in its usual spot, engine cold. Sleek—immaculate, like everything else he owned. I killed the ignition and sat there for a moment, hands still gripping the wh
“It is,” Vivienne said warmly. “Which is why it’s so important to preserve it. To protect it from...” She paused. “Dilution.” Dilution. Elegant. Lethal. I was the dilution. The unwanted ingredient. “I understand,” I said quietly. Vivienne smiled, triumphant. “I’m so glad we can speak plainly.”
“Board meeting materials. She said you’d need them before Monday.” Edward reached for it. But Lucy shifted. Extended it toward me instead. “Actually, Alicia, would you mind holding onto this? Edward’s about to be pulled away—” She glanced across the room where some tech CEO type was clearly waiti







