Chapter 1 - The Hidden Ledger
The kitchen of Windmir House was a gleaming monument to stainless steel and absolute silence.
Ren Ashby carefully plated the seared duck breast, wiping a stray drop of cherry reduction from the rim of the porcelain dish.
It had been exactly three weeks since she spilled hot sauce on Damon Cole’s expensive leather shoe.
In that time, they had barely exchanged more than a dozen words.
He remained a ghost in his own mansion, appearing precisely at seven thirty for dinner and vanishing into his office immediately after.
Ren placed the heavy silver cloche over the plate and carried it into the expansive dining room.
The empty gilt frames on the walls still gave her an eerie, unsettling feeling every time she walked past them.
Damon was already seated at the head of the massive table, typing rapidly on his phone.
He didn't look up when she set the plate down in front of him.
Ren turned to walk back to the kitchen, desperate to escape the heavy gravity of his presence.
She needed to check her phone to see if her younger brother Toby had called about his overdue college tuition.
The loan sharks Toby had foolishly borrowed from were demanding payment by midnight, and Ren was out of options.
As she reached the swinging kitchen doors, Damon’s deep voice echoed through the empty room.
"Your brother is safe, Ren."
She froze completely, her heart slamming against her ribs in sheer panic.
She slowly turned around to face the dark-haired billionaire.
Damon had finally put his phone down and was staring at her with those intense, unreadable eyes.
"How do you know about Toby?" she whispered, her hands trembling at her sides.
May you like
Damon pulled a thick, black leather folder from his briefcase and tossed it onto the dining table.
"Because I bought his debt this morning, which means you now owe me exactly fifty thousand dollars."
