She should never check his offshore accounts.

She should never look at the ledger of a company called Apex Consulting.

And, above all, she should never, ever speak out loud about what happens behind their closed, locked doors.”

A nervous, uncertain laugh broke out somewhere in the third row.

The heavy silence that followed was suffocating.

 

Adrian’s smile tightened, snapping into a rigid grimace.

His eyes flashed with a sudden, violent warning.

“Clara,” he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous rumble meant only for me. “Stop talking. Read the card.”