The echo of her desperate plea bled out into the freezing afternoon air.
But the damage was already done.
Near the main entrance, a few employees heading out for their break stopped dead in their tracks, their jaws dropping at the scene unfolding.
Down the sidewalk, passersby slowed to a crawl, nudging one another and whispering furiously as they took in the sudden, scandalous spectacle of a woman groveling on the pavement.
Yet, despite the shock, not a single person dared to pull out a phone.
In this district, everyone knew better.
The name Nicholas Ashcroft carried the weight of an emperor. His face was instantly recognizable to almost anyone, especially in the heart of the high-stakes corporate district, where even the executives sitting at the very top of the towering high-rises
