Beneath the Ashes
Tessa went back to her after so much over thinking. She took the agreement file, her fingers shook as she pressed the pen against the dotted line. Her heart wasn’t in the signature, but she thought her solution was. The sleek director contract bore Blake Carrington West’s name in bold print, and now—hers too.
It should’ve felt like victory. It didn’t.
Blake’s words from the night before haunted her:
“She’s just a pawn. She thinks I gave her that role because she’s capable? No. I need her close. That’s all. For what’s coming, she’ll be useful. She doesn’t need to know.”
Those words rang louder than her conscience.
Tessa stood from his mahogany desk right in his private study and handed the signed documents back to Blake. His expression was unreadable—polished, profes
