Page 116 of Auctioned

The sight of her curled up on the couch, her back to me, tugs at my cold heart.

Detaching myself from her, I return to the task at hand.

The files that I have spread across my desk. I removed them from my safe earlier, right after I settled Ophelia on the couch.

Then I got down to business.

My personal business.

Starting with my son.

Topher had been sticking to his routine, according to my investigator. There haven’t been any more pitiful messages or calls since our last conversation.

Oliver sent me photos of him and Camden from their vacation, much to my disgust. I have never taken a selfie in my life. I don’t care to have Oliver’s on my phone. But I pretended to be content and supportive.

Another layer of my plan.

Putting up a charade will serve me in the long run.

When I kill them. Make them disappear.

Then I act as if I’m concerned about their well-being.

As if we were more than just business partners, and I’m personally invested in bringing them home.

What about Topher? His fate remains undecided.

He’s a monster. He was also drunk when he talked to me.

I’ll try to talk to Topher once Oliver and Camden are out of the picture. Or I could end him too. Depends on him.

Everyone’s disposable.

My hand clenches into a fist.

Everyone but her.

The folders in front of me contain names, photos, and extortion material. Over the last six months, I’ve been gathering the ones I’ll need in case shit hits the fan.

One can never be too careful.

I might not have murdered anyone in a long time.

But I’m not new tothis. To keeping people—as in myself—out of prison using my connections. And that’s before I delve into actual law practice.

“Hmph.”

My head whips to the source of the sound. To Ophelia.

The hold she has on me is concerning. How, with a simplehmphand a shift of her body, she snatches my attention. Fully. Completely.

Obsessively.

“Pet.”

If I get up, if I cross the room and cradle her in my arms, it’s game over. She’s already halfway there, to ruling over my heart.

Another tug of the invisible rope, and she’ll have an edge over me.

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