"Dad, if we can''te up with the money, the three of us will end up sleeping under a bridge. I''m just going to ask him for help, nothing more-I promise I won''t do anything reckless."


    Rowena would never have considered this path before.


    But now, resentment, jealousy, and anger twisted in her chest like wild vines. She was desperate to turn her luck around.


    *


    Verdant Pavilion was one of the most exclusive lounges in Capitolion. Inside a private VIP suite, Preston lounged back carelessly on the leather sofa, a drink in one hand. Next to him sat Rowena, dressed in a little ck V-neck cocktail dress. With ascivious grin, Preston gave her a light p on her backside. "Go on, sweetheart-pour a drink for the gentlemen."


    Forcing down the nausea rising in her throat, Rowena mustered a brittle smile. She stood and glided gracefully around the table, offering drinks to each man in


    turn.


    Her dress was cut scandalously short, barely skimming the top of her thighs. Each time she bent slightly to pour, she revealed more than she wanted-deliberately designed, she realized bitterly, to put her on disy.


    The room was filled with top investors from Capitolion, each surrounded by beautiful women eager to please.


    Mr. Lennox, a venture capital mogul, let his eyes linger on her exposed skin. He drained the ss she''d just poured, then licked his lips with slow appreciation. "Mr. Dunbar, this one''s a real knockout. How''d you two meet?"


    Preston, his hand resting on his ample stomach, slipped off his expensive watch and tossed it carelessly down the front of Rowena''s dress. The cold metal slid between her skin and the fabric, making her flinch.


    "What, fancy her yourself? Too bad-she''s with me tonight."


    The other men chuckled knowingly, theirughter thick with innuendo.


    Rowena clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white, trying not to shudder at the icy touch of the watch. Her face felt frozen, on the verge of cracking.


    Just one night, she told herself desperately. Just one night, and I''ll have the money.


    At that moment, the suite door swung open.


    Victor strolled in, unhurried. He shrugged off his suit jacket and handed it to a waiting attendant before settling into the single armchair at the head of the table.


    The room fell momentarily silent as the executives greeted him.


    "Mr. Fitzgerald, d you could join us."


    "Come on, someone get Mr. Fitzgerald a drink."


    Victor barely lifted his gaze, ncing briefly at the approaching women. His voice was t and indifferent. "No need."


    Rowena''s cheeks burned with shame and embarrassment at the sight of him.


    Every man here was a powerful figure in the investment world. The entire evening was built around deals for the new southern development district of Capitolion.


    "Let''s get down to business. I have somewhere to beter," Victor announced, checking his watch. His gaze swept the room, pausing for the briefest instant on Rowena before moving on as if she were a stranger.


    But that fleeting look sent Rowena''s heart racing.


    She instinctively edged away from Preston, but he wasn''t about to let her go. He grabbed her by the waist, then fished the watch from where it had fallen between her thighs. "What''s the matter? You''ve gone all fluttery just because Mr. Fitzgerald showed up?"


    The menughed again. "Shame, really. On the business scene, Mr. Fitzgerald isn''t interested in femalepany."


    Rowena''s face turned a deep shade of red-humiliation and regret warring inside her.


    If she''d known Victor would be at this party tonight, she never would havee.


    She ducked her head, sneaking a nce at Victor, who lounged in the armchair as if he owned the ce He was strikingly handsome, his features sharp andmanding. With several shirt buttons undone, he radiated an effortless, almost dangerous charm. He didn''t need to do anything at all-just sitting there, he exuded a natural air of authority.


    A flicker of hope reignited in Rowena''s battered heart.


    A thought crept in: Isadora''s pregnant, and it''s not Victor''s child. If I tell him, someone as proud as Victor would be furious. If Ifort him in this charged atmosphere... Maybe, just maybe, I won''t have to spend the night with Preston after all. Maybe I''ll end up with Victor instead.