Page 2 of Silence and Surrender

“Yeah, well, let me figure out what I’m dealing with first. Last thing I need is my brother swooping in to save me like some kind of reformed criminal superhero.”

Steele’s laugh was dry, but sincere. “Fair enough. But be careful. Money laundering through art, that’s usually cover for something worse.”

“Worse how?”

“Let me look into it. And Colton? Check the shipping routes again. Art smuggling is never just about the art.”

The line went dead, leaving me with more questions than answers. I leaned back in my chair, staring at the Thames through the window. As much as I hated to admit it, our art expert, Isabella Delacroix, would have spotted these discrepancies immediately. Her irritating habit of questioning every protocol, every acquisition, gave her a particular talent for seeing what others missed. Despite how she constantly undermined my authority, her instincts for authenticity were unparalleled. If anyone could confirm whether these manifests were genuine, it would be her—though engaging her help would mean enduring her smug satisfaction at being proven right. The prospect was enough to push the thought of involving her far from my mind.

I turned back to the documents, Steele’s last words echoing in my mind.Not just about the art. What the hell had I stumbled into?

Chapter Two

Isabella

“This was an unauthorized acquisition, Miss Delacroix.”

I kept my face neutral as I met Colton Moreau’s stern gaze across his ridiculously ostentatious desk. The bank’s chief counsel had summoned me to his corner office like a misbehaving schoolgirl, and now sat there in his perfectly tailored suit with his haughty posture, questioning my judgment.

“The Caravaggio was available for a limited time,” I said, letting just a hint of my French accent slip through. Americans found it charming. The British found it intimidating. But Moreau was annoyed by anything that came out of my mouth, no matter how it was delivered. “The opportunity—”

“Required board approval.” He leaned forward slightly, the movement drawing attention to how his shoulders strained his suit jacket. “Which you didn’t get.”

“Because the board wouldn’t have moved quickly enough.”

“The board exists for a reason, Miss Delacroix.”

God, Colton Moreau was insufferable. Every word he uttered was precisely measured, every gesture perfectly calculated. “Your father may have had carte blanche with acquisitions, but—”

“Do not,” I cut in, my voice pointed enough to make him blink, “presume to tell me how my father conducted business.”

A muscle twitched in his chiseled jaw. He’d changed since taking over as chief counsel, and not just the physical transformation that was becoming difficult to ignore, but something in his bearing. More powerful. Harder.

“The acquisition was sound,” I continued before he could start lecturing me again. “The provenance is impeccable, the price was well below market value—”

“And the paperwork is incomplete.” He tapped the file before pushing it across the desk towards me with one finger. “Which makes it my problem.”

“You make everything your problem, Mr. Moreau. It’s why you’re paid so well to say ‘no’ to everyone.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. His carefully constructed control slipped for just a moment, revealing something even harder underneath. “I say no when people take unnecessary risks with the bank’s reputation.”

“I took a calculated risk based on my expertise—”

“Your expertise?” His laugh was cold. “Your so-called expertise got the bank a painting we can’t properly document, from a seller who won’t provide complete paperwork, at a price that raises red flags with regulatory compliance.”

I leaned forward, matching his posture. “That painting will be worth triple what we paid within five years.”

“If we can prove we acquired it legally.”

“Are you questioning my authentication?”

“I’m questioning your reckless methods.” He stood, and I had to force myself not to step back. When had Colton Moreau become so physically imposing? “This isn’t a private gallery, Miss Delacroix. This is a bank. We answer to the board and its investors. To our clients. We have procedures.”

“Bureaucratic procedures that would have lost us the acquisition.” I lifted my chin, refusing to be intimidated by his height or that cold authority he wore like his neatly pressed designer suits. “Sometimes expertise means knowing when to bend the rules.”

“Rules exist for a reason.”

“Yes, to make attorneys feel self-important when they enforce them.”

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