LOGINEmily’s POV"Maya!" I gasped, my throat closing up as I held out my shaking phone. "Look at this!"Maya leaned over from the front passenger seat of the SUV, her sharp eyes scanning the high-resolution photo on my screen. Her face turned to pure ice the second she saw the sniper crosshairs centered directly on my head, along with the text message: Declarations of love won't save him, Emily. Tell Daniel that his past in London is coming for you both."Driver, evasive route back to the Greenwich estate right now!" Maya ordered sharply, pulling out her radio. "Code Red! We have an active surveillance threat on the target! Seal the main gates before we arrive!"The heavy SUV swerved violently onto the highway, tires screeching against the asphalt as two backup security sedans fell into tight formation around us.Ten minutes later, the massive iron gates of the Greenwich estate slammed shut behind us. Armed guards in tactical gear lined the long,
Emily’s POVThe grand sitting room of the Greenwich estate was completely silent except for the crackle of the fireplace and the harsh blue glow of my smartphone screen.It was barely 7:00 AM, and the entire internet was tearing itself apart."Put the phone down, Emily," Daniel’s deep, quiet voice rasped beside me.He was leaning back on the dark velvet sofa, his dark hair falling messy over his forehead, the top buttons of his black dress shirt undone. He reached across the leather cushions and gently slid the phone from my grip, locking the display before tossing it onto the heavy oak table."I can't stop looking," I whispered, resting my head against his broad chest. The steady, heavy rhythm of his heart beneath my ear was the only thing keeping me grounded. "Half the comments are calling me brave for standing up to Victoria, and the other half are calling me a sick, shameless gold-digger who ruined her own family.""People fear what they can't control," Daniel murmured. His long f
Emily’s POV"Sign the Walker family trust assets over to me by six o'clock tomorrow morning," Victoria whispered, her fingernails digging into my wrist like sharp steel claws. "Or I release the rest of the note to the District Attorney, and Daniel goes to prison for the rest of his life."I let my eyes fill with quick, fake tears, forcing my voice to tremble. "Please, Mother... don't do this. He didn't force those pills down your throat! You know he didn't!""The world doesn't care about the truth, Emily!" Victoria sneered, her voice ringing with arrogant, toxic victory. "They see a heartbroken, dying mother lying in an ICU bed because her husband seduced his young step- daughter! I own the media! I own the narrative! If I say he poisoned me, they will believe me!""You... you really pre-scheduled that press release before taking a few harmless sleeping pills?" I whimpered, shrinking back against the edge of the hospital bed as if I were utterly defeated."Of course I did!" Victoria l
Emily’s POVThe satellite phone on Daniel's desk began to ring before the news anchor on the television could even finish her sentence.RING. RING. RING.Daniel didn't hesitate. He snatched the phone off the heavy oak desk and slammed it against his ear, his knuckles white against the black plastic."Speak," Daniel commanded, his voice so cold it could have frozen the room solid."Mr. Walker, it's Carter," his head of security shouted over the speaker, the background noise filled with screaming crowds and distant sirens. "The hospital is completely surrounded! There are at least fifty press vans blocking the main entrance of New York-Presbyterian. Tabloid reporters are offering the floor nurses fifty thousand dollars for a photo of Victoria’s chart!""How did they get the story so fast?" Daniel demanded, staring at the television screen where my mother's face was still plastered in glowing color."Victoria’s publicist issued a press release twenty minutes before the ambulance even arr
Emily’s POV"Look at yourself, Emily," Daniel whispered, his deep voice vibrating right against the back of my neck.He stood behind me in the grand mirrored dressing room, his broad hands resting heavily on my waist. The floor-to-ceiling mirrors reflected everything—the soft glow of the recessed lighting, the flush on my cheeks, and the absolute devotion in Daniel’s dark silver eyes.He slid his dark silk button-down shirt over my shoulders. It was far too big for me, falling past my thighs, smelling rich with his woodsy cologne."It looks better on you than it ever did on me," he murmured, his long fingers moving to the top button."Daniel..." My voice was barely a breath. "You said we weren't going to think about anything outside this bedroom.""We aren't," he said softly, slowly unbuttoning the shirt he had just put on me, parting the smooth fabric to expose my collarbone. "I’m looking at my whole world right now. Why would I think about anything else?""You're impossible," I teas
Emily’s POVThe fire beside us popped, sending a spark flying against the mesh screen. The golden light danced across Daniel’s damp shoulders, making the sweat slick on his skin glisten. But the heat that had been radiate from him just seconds ago—the consuming, primal warmth that had swallowed me whole—had vanished.He was still lying right on top of me, his heavy weight anchoring me to the plush rug. But his mind was thousands of miles away."What is it?" I repeated, pushing myself up onto my elbows. The cool air hitting my damp skin made me shiver. "What did she say, Daniel?"Daniel didn't answer immediately. He stared at the glowing rectangle in his palm, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscle below his ear twitched rhythmically. A dark shadow fell over his features, erasing the soft, tender expression he only ever showed me."Nothing important," he rasped finally, but his voice was tight, like a wire strung too taut."She's asking for a meeting, isn't she?" I guessed, running my







