Chapter 1 - The Invitation
Julian stared at his daughter’s pleading face for a long, heavy moment.
The silence inside the empty restaurant felt thick enough to cut with a knife.
Emily stood perfectly still, her damp cleaning towel gripped tightly in her trembling hands.
"Fine," Julian finally said, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Lily’s face instantly brightened into a massive, triumphant smile.
"But you stay close to me, and you do not ask any more inappropriate questions," Julian warned his daughter.
Lily completely ignored his lecture and ran over to grab Emily’s hand.
"You have to come with us right now," the little girl insisted.
Emily looked helplessly at the intimidating man standing near the doorway.
"Mr. Mercer, I really cannot accept this," Emily said softly.
"My daughter has already made her decision, Miss Hart," Julian replied without smiling.
"And in my world, it is highly dangerous to disappoint her."
He gestured gracefully toward the front door, leaving absolutely no room for an argument.
Emily realized she had absolutely nothing waiting for her at her cold, empty apartment anyway.
She took off her stained apron and followed the billionaire out into the freezing Manhattan blizzard.
The heavily armored black SUV was warm and smelled faintly of expensive leather and rich cologne.
They drove through the snowy city streets in complete silence.
An hour later, the vehicle passed through massive iron gates and pulled up to a sprawling, fortress-like estate.
Emily stepped out of the car, her breath catching at the sheer size of the mansion.
Suddenly, a heavy metal door opened on the side of the grand house.
Two massive men in dark suits dragged a battered, bleeding man across the pristine white snow.
The injured man was begging for his life in a language Emily did not understand.
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Julian stepped smoothly in front of Emily, completely blocking her view of the violence.
"Take him to the basement," Julian ordered his men coldly.
