INICIAR SESIÓNI look her dead in the eye, the pain in my cheek turning into pure, defensive defiance. "I don't care about your money! I am only here to find out the truth about what happened to your mother!" SMACK! Caroline slaps me across the face with enough force to burst my lip, the metallic taste of blood
Jake just shrugs, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes still tracking my waistline. I move down the line, my breath catching in my throat as I approach the final two seats. Georgia and Lydia. Georgia is leaning back, laughing softly at something Lydia just murmured, looking untouchable. I step up
It clicks in my brain right then—that is exactly why the mastermind chose her. She’s the perfect person to bribe because she doesn't talk. I open my mouth, trying to phrase a casual, conversational opening about Grandmother Newton’s murder, but the words dry up in my throat. I can't just blurt ou
I creep down the grand, plushly carpeted upper hallway, a damp microfiber cloth squeezed in my right hand as I pretend to wipe down the gold-leaf molding on the wall of the Newton house. My eyes, however, are locked on Caroline Newton’s back. She’s walking a few paces ahead of me, looking like a wa
The mocking sarcasm is gone, replaced by a hyper-focused, intensely protective glare. She narrows her eyes, studying my face through her oversized sunglasses. "What about Owen?" "In case you haven't opened a single app or looked at what's been aggressively circulating on the internet since this mo
I stare at the glowing screen of the TV in my room, a groan rattling the very depths of my soul. I swear to God, I cannot have a single, solitary second of peace in this godforsaken world. Right there on the screen, dominating every single social media platform, entertainment blog, and legal foru
I watch the two of them disappear into the hallway, and the house settles into that heavy silence, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of the tea Caroline made. I take a breath, shaking off the tension in my shoulders and remind myself what I actually came here to do. I move
"You're in the city, but you never come to see me? You're like a ghost. A handsome and intelligent ghost, my son is." Mother’s voice rings out before I even reach the parlor. She’s sitting in her favorite wingback chair, looking as calm as she always does, though the grief lines from crying over my
The heavy doors to my office creak open, and for a second, I consider firing Miller again. I specifically told him I was in a meeting, which is corporate speak for 'I’m staring at my reflection in a glass of Scotch and wondering how my life became a tabloid headline.' But it’s not Miller. Owen s
"Yeah." Deckard? Making tea? The Deckard I know wouldn't know how to boil water if his life depended on it, let alone research herbal blends for a recovering patient. He’s a consumer, not a caretaker. Maybe he really was in love with her? But that's out of the question if he's never touched her an







