The tension inside the SUV was suffocating. Arabella’s heart pounded as she stared outside the window, her fingers trembling.
She could barely breathe.
Her father had done it. He had turned the entire city against her in a matter of minutes.
Alexander sat beside her, his expression unreadable, but she could feel the tension radiating off him. He was angry, not just at the situation but at her father’s audacity. Arabella knew Edmund Whitmore played dirty, but she had never expected him to stoop this low.
“How did they find out so quickly?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, laced with panic.
Alexander’s jaw tightened as he took hold of her trembling hands, his grip firm yet controlled. “He has eyes everywhere. And he wanted this to happen. He wanted to corner you before you could es
