Chloe had long since learned that challenging Xavier’s patience was a gamble she couldn't win. She stood in the center of the floral display, the sun a relentless weight against her neck. Butler White had brought her herbal heatstroke medicine, but the thick, bitter liquid did nothing to cool the fire raging in her blood. Her clothes were drenched in sweat, clinging to her skin as her breathing became shallow and jagged. The vibrant colors of the garden began to bleed into a muddy gray, and the world tilted violently.
She felt the cool touch of a leaf against her cheek as she collapsed into the flower bed. The distant, frantic shouts of the servants and the butler’s panicked voice were the last things she heard before the darkness claimed her completely.
When the phone rang in Xavier’s o
