Chapter 1

"Eileen, stop looking at me with those pathetic gazes. Taking the fall for Mr. Morrison is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to someone like you."

Alex's voice cut through the air outside the car.

He pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket, his face twisted with disgust, and slowly wiped the fingers that had brushed against my sleeve.

Claire leaned into him, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

"Alex, don't be so mean to Eileen. She did have a crush on you for three years. Even if she never accomplished anything, at least give her credit for trying."

"Credit?" Alex sneered. "She doesn't deserve even that."

He flicked the used wipe into the car. It landed squarely on my face.

"A poor girl who clawed her way out of some small town on a scholarship. I gave her a job, she should have been grateful. A few years in prison should knock those ridiculous fantasies out of her."

The car door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

The car door slammed shut. It sealed away the face I'd loved for three years. Only now did I realize the man I thought I knew had been a stranger all along.

My wrists were bound behind my back, forcing me to slump against the leather seat.

The man sitting beside me let out a low chuckle.

Lucas Morrison lounged with one leg crossed over the other, lazily twirling a matte-black lighter between his fingers.

A pale blue flame danced above it, casting shifting light across his sharp, rebellious features.

"Ms. Grant," he drawled. "The man you love personally delivered you to hell. Tell me... how does that feel?"

He leaned a little closer.

"I hear you just got your bar license today. What a shame. You won't even get to practice before you're trading your suit for a prison uniform."

I struggled desperately to break free.

"Mr. Morrison, those trade secret documents were forged by Alex. You know that better than anyone. Making me take the fall won't hold up under any real investigation."

One of Lucas's brows lifted, as if he were mildly impressed that I could still think rationally.

"So what?" He scoffed. "In Manhattan, it's easier than you think to pin everything on a nobody who just got her bar licence."

At that moment, my phone rang inside my pocket, the shrill sound cutting through the silence.

Lucas glanced at the screen and saw "Alex Walker" flashing across it. The corners of his mouth curled upward. He answered the call for me and switched on speakerphone.

"Eileen, are you there yet?"

Alex's voice came through, lofty and commanding.

"I'm warning you. When the investigators question you, you better know what you're supposed to say. Don't even think about dragging Claire or Harrison Group into this."

I drew a deep breath, unable to stop my voice from shaking.

"Alex... I worked for you for three years. I covered for you at client dinners. I pulled countless all-nighters to finish your work. You're really going to throw my life away... just for Claire?"

A cold, contemptuous laugh came through the phone.

"You?" Alex let out a scornful laugh. "Who the hell do you think you are? Claire worth more than you'll ever be."

His voice turned icy. "Listen carefully. The investigators already have a written statement waiting for your signature and you'd better sign it. If you don't, the private nursing care I had guaranteed for your grandmother ends tomorrow. The hospital will begin the transfer process immediately."

I went completely still.

"You'd use my grandmother against me?"

"Try me." Alex's voice was cold as steel. "If you want your grandmother to stay in her current room, then be a good girl and admit that you created and took those leaked documents!"

"Alex, you're a monster!"

"Go ahead, call me names. That's all you're capable of now. Remember this, Eileen. You're a dog I kept. And a dog should be ready to die for its master."

The line went dead. The steady beep of the disconnected call echoed through the car.

My tears finally spilled over.

Lucas watched me fall apart with open amusement.

"Tsk tsk. How tragic. Eileen, don't you want revenge?"

I jerked my head up, my bloodshot eyes locking onto his.

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Morrison?"