Page 62 of Money Reigns
My heart races.
It’s just a professional event.
A networking opportunity.
It means nothing. Itcan’tmean anything.
This is still just work. I’mjustan employee.
A pretty one in borrowed power. That’s all.
Isabella packs up swiftly, leaving me standing in the middle of my apartment like I’ve been dropped into someone else’s life.
“Have fun,” she says with a wink as she leaves. “And try not to fall too hard.”
The door clicks shut.
I turn toward my phone. Reach for it.
I can’t do this.
I’m not ready.
I’m going to cancel. I’m going to tell him I’m sick.
I stare down at my phone. My finger hovers over his name.
Maybe if I text fast enough, I can get out of this—
Knock knock.
My head snaps toward the door.
Too late.
He’s here.
Chapter fourteen
Olivia
The knock echoes like a warning.
My stomach flips. My pulse jumps to my throat. I almost don’t move.
I reach for the door handle with trembling fingers.
And there he is.
Warren Beaumont.
Tall, broad, commanding. Just as put together as he is at work, but now—dressed in a tux so sharp it could cut glass, he looks... powerful. His jacket is open, his stance relaxed, but every inch of him radiates control.
He looks like he owns everything he touches. And right now, I feel like one of those things.
His eyes drop instantly to the necklace resting above my collarbone. Then lower. A long, measured sweep down the gown he chose, probably wondering if I’m wearing the lingerie beneath it. My face heats.
His gaze lingers, unreadable, at the dip of my waist.
