What Daddy Left Behind

"This is the last time, Thea.” Stellan Vaughn's voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the warning behind it. “You don't get to decide everything for me,” I replied. “I promised your father I would protect you.” “And I never asked you to.” For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then Stellan looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand. “You may change your mind when you learn what he was trying to protect you from.” *** Stellan Vaughn was my father's best friend. For years, I knew him simply as Uncle Stellan—the distant, intimidating man who always seemed to know more than he was willing to say. Then my father was gone. Suddenly, Stellan became the person responsible for helping me navigate the complicated life my father left behind. He also became my new boss. Cold, ruthless, and immensely powerful, Stellan is accustomed to controlling every situation around him. He believes keeping me close is the safest choice. I disagree. I don't need another person making decisions about my future. But the more I challenge Stellan, the more obvious it becomes that his promise to my father wasn't as simple as he claims. There are secrets surrounding my family. Questions about my father's past. And people Stellan clearly doesn't want anywhere near me. He thinks protecting me means keeping me away from the truth. I intend to uncover it. But every answer leads back to Stellan Vaughn. The one man my father trusted above everyone else. The man who knows exactly what was hidden from me. And perhaps the only person who can explain why my father's final request was for Stellan to keep me close. I thought losing my father had changed my future. I didn't realize he had left behind a secret that could change everything I believed about my past."