Riley immediately sensed the shift in Abigail’s emotions.That was her specialty.Her core ability.Pain, anger, confusion — to her they were almost visible in the air.A small smile appeared on her lips.Perfect.She slowly stepped closer to Lombard.“A real man should be honest,” she said calmly. “But you’re not.”Her eyes scanned him with open disdain.“That’s why Mireya left you for another man. And honestly… it’s easy to see why. No woman would ever want to stay with a man like you.”Then she turned to Abigail.Her expression softened instantly, almost gentle.“If there’s anything you need to talk about,” she said sweetly, “remember I’m always available.”She lowered her voice slightly.“I heard about your father last night… from Mireya.”Abigail’s fingers curled slightly.“Let’s go,” Lombard said smoothly, cutting into the moment before anything else could be said.Abigail looked at him for a second.Then she turned back to Riley.“If your sister knew so clearly what was going t

Out of pure desperation, Abigail hurried after Riley, hoping to catch up and talk to her again.But she had no idea what was waiting inside.Riley had already shown her pass at the gate and told security she was here to see Vivienne. The guards had verified it and let her through immediately.Abigail, however, had no such access.Just as she walked a few steps after Riley, several security officers suddenly stepped out of nowhere and blocked her path.“How did you get in here?” one of them demanded harshly.“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to be here without proper access?” another snapped.“Where are the guards on duty at the gate?” a third said angrily. “If this reaches the CEO, they’re finished!”Abigail froze.Before she could explain anything, the guards had already surrounded her, talking over one another about trespassing and security breaches.She couldn’t believe what was happening.Just moments ago, she had seen Lombard drive in here.She clearly remembered the way the gu

Several men were already standing in front of Abigail’s house.They looked exactly like the kind of people you never wanted waiting at your door.The man at the center was clearly their leader. Around him stood a group of rough-looking thugs, their arms covered in tattoos they hadn’t even bothered to hide.In fact, it almost seemed like they wanted the tattoos to be seen.Like the intimidation was the whole point.Abigail slowed as she stepped out of the car.Her lawyer leaned slightly closer to her and whispered quietly.“I used to run with gangs when I was in my early twenties,” he said as if that was supposed to make things better. “Men like these? They’re nothing new to me.”He rolled up his sleeves confidently and dropped his briefcase on the ground.“Just watch me.”If he had known what was about to happen to him, he probably wouldn’t have dropped that briefcase so dramatically.He stepped forward toward the gang leader.“We can talk this out—” he began calmly.Then he shrugged.

Lombard was back at Finn’s house.He had come to check on the boy since Finn was the only one home.“Mom and Dad will be around this weekend,” Finn said, trying to sound casual, though the emotion in his voice betrayed him.Lombard raised an eyebrow slightly.“They haven’t even met me face-to-face for the past three months,” Finn continued. “Not that I care… but I think…”He stopped himself.Wait.Was he really about to open up to Lombard?Yesterday, if someone had told him he would enjoy hanging out with Lombard this much, he would have laughed in their face.“I got a call from the man again this morning,” Finn said quickly, shifting the topic. “I’ll be seeing him in his office tomorrow.”He leaned forward, excitement creeping into his voice.“I might end up at the University of Pennsylvania.”“Good for you,” Lombard began to say.At that moment, his phone rang.Perfect timing.It was Abigail.He answered the call.“Hello?”Nothing.The line went dead.Lombard frowned slightly and ca

Abigail slowly opened her eyes to the sound of voices.For a moment, she had no idea where she was.The light above her was painfully bright, forcing her to squint as she tried to adjust.Her head throbbed.Her body felt heavy.As her vision cleared, she looked down at herself.Her wrists were tied tightly to the chair.Her dress—the same one she had worn earlier—was now stained and filthy, smeared with her own blood… and something darker.Her breathing quickened.Then she noticed someone else.A woman was tied to a chair several feet away.Abigail gasped.The woman’s face was almost unrecognizable—swollen, bruised, and battered in ways Abigail had only ever seen in movies.“You’re two minutes late.”The voice came from somewhere in front of her.That was when Abigail realized a call was playing on the large screen mounted on the wall.Before she could understand what was happening—A loud crack split the room.A gunshot.Abigail screamed.She turned her head just in time to see the w