Emil My phone pings once, twice, then starts ringing. Padding across the living room to grab it from its charging cradle, I frown at Tammy’s name on the screen. Even my ultra- dedicated secretary doesn’t work on Sundays. I swipe my thumb to answer. “Tammy.” “Gleeson’s pulled out of the deal,” she says without preamble. “You should have the email in your inbox. I’m trying to reach his office to set up a meeting, but I’m not getting through.” Tamping down my sudden shock and anger, I speak through gritted teeth. “Why.” “His lawyer’s email doesn’t say. Just cites a change in direction for the company and the dissolution of any agreements thus far, then points to the NDA we all signed.” Cold rage spreads through my veins. He’s dropping out. After viewing our manufacturing plants, negotiating for months, and almost coming to an agreement, Gleeson is ending this deal before it can begin. This was supposed to slingshot me to the forefront of the industry. It was supposed to be my legacy. “I’ll handle it.” I hang up after a few more words and glance at the clock. Nearly dinnertime. I wish Dani were here. The thought pops up out of nowhere, filling my head with thoughts of her arms wrapped around me, her silken skin pressed up against mine in intimate comfort. I’d kill to have her hands shaping my shoulders, petting me to calm me down. Closing my eyes for a moment, I take a de ep breath and call Gleeson. To my surprise, he answers. “Six minutes since the email was sent,” he says as he answers the phone. “That’s five more than I expected.” “What the fuck, Richard?” “It’s not personal, Emil.” “Like hell it isn’t. You can’t pull out now.” “I can and I did. We hadn’t come to any agreements. We can go our s eparate ways.” “So that’s it? No explanation? No reason? You’re just walking away?” “You want an explanation?” Gleeson spits, his anger vibrating through the call. “Why don’t you talk to your girlfriend.” Frowning, I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows, seeing nothing. “Dani? What has she got to do with this?” “Why don’t you start with asking her for her real name, Emil? See just how far her lies go. She did this. She gave me an ultimatum, and I had no choice. She wanted to tank this deal. She probably weaseled her way into your life, all sad doe-eyes and damsel in distress. It’s her modus operandi, Emil. Then she throws a grenade at your life and walks away.” “What are you talking about?” “She came to see me today. I’m in town for our meeting tomorrow. I was ready to sign that contract tomorrow, but she asked me to meet her.” Dani... asked to meet Richard? She’s been talking to him? Jealousy wraps its venomous tendrils around my
heart. What else hasn’t she been telling me about? Glancing at my kids playing quietly on the floor of the playroom, my mouth goes dry. She lied to me about this. I’ve been letting her near my kids, and she lied to me. I let her drive them around in my car, and she fucking lied to me. “Tell me.” It’s a command, and I don’t care that I don’t have the right to order Richard Gleeson around. He will answer my questions. All of them. “I met Danika Jenckell when her name was still Kayla Nollen. She was sweet and innocent and she seduced me within weeks,” Richard drawls, striking fear in my heart with every word. Danika didn’t even need weeks to seduce me. She needed minutes. Seconds. Richard lets out a long breath. “She disappeared from my life without a trace, then reappeared yesterday. Blackmailed me. I’m sorry, Emil, I had no choice. I can’t go through with this deal.” Frowning, I pace back and forth along the back of the playroom sofa. Glancing at the kids, I’m relieved to see them oblivious to the torrent raging inside me. There’s one thing I don’t understand about all this. “Why? What does she have to gain by tanking this deal?” Richard scoffs, then says words that strike at the core of my fears. “She’s a con artist, Emil. What have you promised her recently? She probably has a lot to gain. Don’t underestimate her.” What have you promised her recently? What have you promised her recently? What have you promised her recently? Only my heart, my life, my world. My heartbeat thunders. I hang up without another word and dial Dani’s phone. It goes straight to voicemail. My rage is a glittering expanse inside me, blanketing everything in an icy chill. I can’t think about anything but the anger writhing beneath the surface, the wrath that will soon erupt. Dani did this. After everything, Dani betrayed me. How did she do it? I knew Gleeson’s interest in her wasn’t normal from the moment he first mentioned her. I knew there was something going on. Has she been playing me from the start? From the Summer Ball? The innocent flicks of her eyelashes, the plunging dress... It was all an act? “Daddy?” Talia stands from her spot on the floor, frowning. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. Ke ep playing.” “Are you mad at me?” My shoulders crumple. “No, princess. I have to go deal with some grown-up things now. I’ll call Grandma to come watch you.” “Where’s Dani?” Even the sound of her name makes my anger crystallize. I curl my hands into fists, forcing myself to unclench my jaw. “I’m going to go see her now. Don’t worry about anything.” The distance between us shrinks as I walk to my daughter, placing a kiss in her curls. “I want to come see Dani.” She clings to my neck. My heart thuds, anger mounting inside me. Dani did this—got close to my kids just to hurt them. Talia will be heartbroken, and it’ll be Dani’s fault. “I love you, Talia.” “You’re mad at Dani?” “No, princess. Everything is okay.” Talia puts her hands on my cheeks, staring into my eyes. “You look like the old you. How you were before Dani.” She kisses my cheek. “Don’t be sad, Daddy. I like it when you smile.” My throat is too thick to answer, so I just carry Talia to her room and set her down. My phone is at my ear a moment later, my mother agreeing to be here within an hour.
The seconds tick by. An hour is an eternity, during which I run through every moment of the past few months. Every interaction I’ve had with Dani, every moment that brought us closer. She showed up at the Summer Ball like a vision in silver, and I was hooked. Then she appeared at my house, that whole baking act clearly designed to make her look innocent and desirable. Her manipulation of my children to gain their trust and affection. Her slow seduction of me, pretending she was afraid to take it further. She’s just like Callie. She planned this meticulously, played me like an expert. And I fucking fell for it. I fucking fell for it. My mother arrives just as my anger is reaching a boiling point. Steel-grey eyes look me up and down, a fine dark eyebrow arching in question. “Do I want to know?” “Business,” I grunt. “Sure doesn’t look like business.” “What’s that supposed to mean, Mother?” “It means you never get this emotional about the job, Emil. It’s the nanny, isn’t it?” “I’ll handle it.” I make to brush past her, but my mother’s hand grips my forearm. “You’ve been happy, Emil. She made you happy.” “She lied.” Ground-out words that only betray an ounce of the endless rage roiling within me. A sigh. A nod. “Don’t be too hard on her.” “Where the hell is this coming from?” I whirl when I reach the door. “All of a sudden, you like her?” “I’ve always liked her. She has steel in her spine. I saw it the first time I met her, when she refused to back down from me. Not many people try to shake my hand when I give them my best scary face.” Her brows arch. My mother’s eyes bore into mine, the frosty layer on her expressions thawing ever so slightly. “I had something beautiful with your father, Emil. I thought maybe she could give you the same.” “Yeah, well, she can’t.” The door slams behind me, echoing through my bones. Her phone is off. I still try it a hundred times on the drive to her friend’s place, my anger cranking tighter with every be ep of her voicemail. I manage to ke ep my voice steady as I wait to be buzzed in, my fists clenching and unclenching as I make my way up to Bonnie’s apartment. Last time I was here, I was begging her to come work for me. I’m a fucking fool. She played me from beginning to end, and I’m not too arrogant to admit that. What I want to know is why. Why would she ruin this business deal? Why would she go behind my back? Why would she lie about her name? Was Gleeson telling the truth about that? Did she squeeze money out of him? Was that what he meant by blackmail? What the hell is going on? Fist pounding on the door, I wait for it to swing open. When Dani appears in the open doorway, a thousand cracks splinter across my heart. She’s so fucking gorgeous. I believed her. “Emil,” she says, frowning as she st eps aside. “Come in.” My st ep echoes into the vast apartment. Looking around, I start noticing exactly what kind of place this is. It’s way more luxurious than when my cousin lived here. The whole place has been renovated and designed within an inch of its life.
Dani isn’t broke. She’s a fucking liar. I turn to face her, drawing myself up to my full height. “Why.” A frown mars her forehead. “Why what?” “Richard Gleeson just pulled out. He told me to ask you for an explanation, so that’s what I’m doing. Tell me why he pulled out, and why don’t you tell me your real name while you’re at it.” Eyes widening, something like horror crosses Dani’s features. “He... Shit.” She turns her head to the side, pinching her nose. “That’s not what I wanted. That bastard.” “How the fuck do you know Richard Gleeson, Dani? Or should I say Kayla?” I know my voice is sharp enough to cut. I want it to. I’ve been betrayed before by a woman who was supposed to love me. I’ve been in a toxic marriage. I’ve questioned every part of that relationship the same as I’m questioning this one. Dani takes a de ep breath and extends her arm toward the couch. “Will you sit down?” Her other hand slides over her stomach, and I nearly roll my eyes. I wonder if she’ll pretend to be nauseous now, too. I won’t fall for it. I won’t fall for her act, the doe-eyed babe who just wants to fall into bed with me. But she “doesn’t usually do that kind of thing.” Right. Body stiff, I make my way to an armchair and sit back into it, laying my hands on the arms, knees spread wide. “Explain.” Dani sits on the end of the couch farthest away from me. She wrings her hands, spots of red blooming over her cheeks. “Richard Gleeson was the boss I told you about. My ex-boyfriend. The one who threatened me, who committed fraud and tried to use me as a s capegoat.” A ringing in my ears, cracking the hard shell of my anger. He’s... Shit. She told me about this... What if Richard is lying? Who am I supposed to believe? Quickly patching the cracks in my rage, I cling to it as hard as I can. I’m angry. I’m furious. This is Dani’s fault. She betrayed me. She takes a de ep breath, her eyes distant. I watch her throat clench as she swallows, one hand squeezing the other. “I saw his name on the contract in your office in the Bahamas.” Dani closes her eyes. “I know I should have told you right then and there, but I panicked. All I wanted to do was run away.” “Instead you blew up the one business deal that could have changed the face of my company.” “He’s bad, Emil.” Her eyes finally find mine. “He’s committed so much fraud it would make your eyes water. I have all the documents. I’ll show them to you. His engine isn’t as good as he says it is. He would have brought your company down. I asked him to come clean to you. If he truly had fixed the problems with the technology, it shouldn’t have been a problem. But he backed out instead. He’s hiding something from you, Emil. He’s protecting the lies he built his company on.” That... makes sense. But how am I supposed to believe her? I look at Dani and I see Callie. I see a woman who burrowed her way into my life and made me care. I see a woman who can shatter me so completely I need to pull back. “You expect me to believe that?” She rears back. “You expect me to believe that you were mistakenly brought to the Summer Ball. That you were my nanny by chance. That this whole seduction you planned was all just, what, fucking fate?” Hurt splashes across her features. “This seduction I planned? What are you saying, Emil?”
“What the fuck is your name?” “Dani Jenckell.” Her spine straightens. “Your real name.” A gulp. Her shoulders roll back as her chin lifts, a muscle feathering along her jaw. At the back of my mind, I realize this is the steel my mother saw. The fighting fire. But Dani just slicks her tongue over her lips and answers. “My birth name was Kayla Nollen. I changed it three and a half years ago after I left Rich’s company. My legal name— the only name I identify with—is Danika Jenckell.” Quiet words, delivered with iron will. There’s a ringing in my ears that just won’t go away. My thoughts don’t make sense. I tear my eyes away from her, another rip forming in my heart. I didn’t even know her name. How the hell am I supposed to trust her? “You expect me to believe your story about Richard Gleeson?” I say, my voice flat. “Yes.” “Why should I?” “Because it’s the truth.” I snort. “You appeared in my life right when this deal was about to go down. You seduced me. You twisted my priorities up, and then you caused the biggest business deal of my career to implode. You got close to my children. And now you’re telling me you did me a favor. That I’m supposed to thank you?” My eyes meet hers, fire fighting fire. She’s frozen in her seat, so very far away from me. But how can I reach her when everything I see is dripping red with anger? When the only word rattling around my skull is betrayal, betrayal, betrayal. She weaseled her way into my life just like Callie did. She tried to wrap herself around me, make herself needed. This whole power play with the Gleeson deal—it’s just a way to get me to question my own sanity. She didn’t do me a fucking favor. She poisoned my mind and came near my kids. She used my kids. Movement in the corner of my eyes stops the words from spewing from my mouth. The woman who bought this place after my cousin moved out—Bonnie—appears from a doorway to my right. Her eyes are hard, her voice ringing with protective rage. “It’s time for you to go.” “Yeah, I think it is.” I push myself up to my feet, eyes on Dani. “You’re fired. Come near my kids and I’ll have you arrested,” I say, then head for the door without looking back.