LOGINThe fire crackled low in the hearth.Brianna lay on the bed, her breathing slow and even, her face peaceful in the warm glow. The exhaustion had finally claimed her. She had not stirred since Dawson laid her down.He stood over her.His hand reached out. His fingers hovered inches from her face. He could feel the warmth of her skin without touching it. He could see the faint pulse at her throat.He wanted to touch her. Wanted to feel her skin beneath his fingers. Wanted to reassure himself that she was real, that she was here, that he had not lost her.But he stopped.His hand hung in the air, suspended between wanting and fear.What if he woke her? What if she looked at him with those eyes, the ones that had seen his scars, his lies, his weakness? What if she saw the monster he was still trying not to become?He pulled his hand back.He sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her, his head in his hands.She stirred."Dawson?"He turned. Her eyes were open, sleepy, soft."Go back to s
The study was cold.Brianna had been sitting in the chair by the window for hours. The sun had climbed and fallen. The shadows had lengthened. No one had come for her. No one had brought food or water or news.Declan had left her here to rot.She pressed her forehead against the glass. The garden was empty. The trees were still. There was no sign of Dawson. No sign of anyone.Her eyes burned. Her body ached. The exhaustion she had been holding off for days finally caught up with her.She curled up on the small couch near the fireplace. The cushions were dusty. The fabric was rough against her cheek. She closed her eyes.Just for a moment.The window was open when she woke.She sat up fast. Her heart was pounding. The room was dark. The fire had gone out. The only light came from the moon.She looked at the window. It was open. She had not opened it.A shadow moved near the door.She opened her mouth to scream.A hand covered her mouth. Warm. Calloused. Familiar."Shh."Dawson.Her bod
The garden was quiet.Brianna stood beside Dawson, their hands still linked, the morning light spreading across the grass. The folder was tucked under his arm. The truth was finally in their hands.Then the door behind them slammed open.Declan stood in the doorway. His face was red. His hands were shaking. He looked at them, at their linked hands, at the folder under Dawson's arm."You think you can just walk away? With everything?"Dawson turned. "We're not walking away. We're fighting."Declan laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound."Fighting? You don't know what fighting is. You've never had to fight for anything. Everything was given to you. The house. The money. The company. And now you want to destroy it all for a girl.""She's not a girl. She's the woman I love."Declan stepped forward. His face was inches from Dawson's."You don't love her. You're obsessed with her. There's a difference."Dawson did not step back."I know the difference."Declan looked at Brianna. His eyes wer
The car rolled through the estate gates as the first light of dawn touched the horizon.Brianna sat in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the house ahead. The windows were dark. The gardens were still. Everything looked the same as it had the night she arrived.Everything was different.Dawson parked the car. He sat for a moment, his hands on the wheel, his jaw tight."The staff will have heard," he said."About what?""About last night. About the fight. About the Grey Office." He turned to look at her. "People talk. They always talk."She reached for his hand."Then we deal with it."He squeezed her hand. Then he let go.The kitchen was empty when they walked in.The coffee pot was full. The bread was out. Someone had been here recently, but they had left in a hurry.Dawson walked to the window. Looked out at the garden."We need to talk to my father.""About what?""About Eric. About the deal. About what happens next."The door opened. A maid walked in. She saw them and stopped.
They made it to the stairs before the lights came on.Dawson froze. Brianna pressed against his back. The hallway blazed with light, every fixture burning, every shadow gone.Eric stood at the bottom of the stairs. His hands were in his pockets. His smile was wide."Going somewhere?"Dawson moved in front of Brianna. His body blocked hers."Move, Eric.""I don't think I will." Eric climbed the first step. Then the second. "You see, I've made a deal. A very expensive deal. And you're trying to take what's mine.""She's not yours.""She will be. By morning." Eric stopped three steps below them. "Your father agreed. Ten million euros. A seat on the board. And the girl." He tilted his head. "You can't fight your father's decisions. You never could."Dawson's hands curled into fists."I'm not fighting my father. I'm fighting you."Eric laughed. "Same thing."He took another step.Dawson moved.It happened fast. One second Eric was on the stairs, smiling. The next, Dawson had him by the col
The hallway was dark.Dawson had not left the house. After walking out of the study, he had stood in the shadows near the stairs, his hands shaking, his chest heaving. He had heard his father on the phone. Prepare the guest room. We're having a visitor.He knew who the visitor was. He knew what his father had done.And then he heard Eric's voice.Dawson moved closer to the study door. It was cracked open, just enough to see the firelight flickering inside. He could hear them talking. Laughing. Making deals.His father's voice: Ten million. A seat on the board. And the girl.Eric's voice: The girl will be at your villa by morning.Dawson's blood turned to ice.They were selling her. His father and Eric. Selling Brianna like she was cargo, like she was a shipment, like she was nothing.He heard his father laugh. You're making a mistake. The girl is not just a leash. She's a weapon.Eric: Once I have her, I won't need you anymore.Dawson's hands curled into fists. His whole body was shak
Eric's office was on the second floor.Brianna had never been inside it before. The walls were lined with books she doubted he had read. A large desk sat in the center, covered in papers and screens. A window looked out over the garden where she had walked with Dawson on that first morning.She sat
The glass of whiskey in Eric’s hand tilted as he took a step closer, the amber liquid swirling like his dark intentions. The lock on the door clicked with a finality that made the air in the room turn thin."Don't look so terrified, Brianna," Eric said, his voice dropping to that patronizing, sicke
The sun hadn't even fully risen when the door to Brianna’s new bedroom creaked open. She scrambled to sit up, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.It was her mother. Eloise was already dressed in a sharp power suit, looking like she hadn't spent the night in a house full of monsters. She didn
The gates of the Van Doren swung open.Brianna watched the limestone pillars blur past, her stomach churning with every inch the limousine moved forward.Beside her, Eloise was checking her reflection for the tenth time. Her mother looked radiant in a silk dress that cost more than their last three







