Outside the penthouse windows, Los Angeles glittered coldly, beautiful and indifferent to the small human tragedies playing out in its towers.
And in the bedroom, Carter Langston stared at his ceiling and wondered why love always felt like losing, why the only women he wanted were the ones who eventually saw him clearly, and why seeing him clearly always meant leaving.
He'd make sure Maeve never got the chance.
Whatever it took.
The morning after Carter's ultimatum, Maeve woke on the couch to find Douglas standing in the living room, looking profoundly uncomfortable.
"Ms. Wells. Mr. Langston asked me to escort you to the office. There's an emergency board meeting at nine."
Maeve sat up, her neck aching from the awkward sleeping position. "Where's Carter?"
"Already at headquarters. H
