A stranger was standing in the room—a foreign man,te twenties, sharply dressed in a tailored suit. His features were decent enough, but his shifty eyes darted around with a restless energy that made the whole encounter unsettling. Stuart studied Ste up close and was taken aback by her beauty. She was nothing like the women he usually ran into at these events-no garish makeup or heavy perfume. Her look was understated, almost natural, but even that couldn''t conceal her striking allure. She was breathtaking, the kind of woman who turned heads the moment she entered a room.


    Stuart''s gaze lingered on her greedily, and he swallowed hard.


    "Gorgeous, name''s Stuart. I''m the next in line for the Gibson family fortune," he announced, his voice dripping with sleaze as his eyes shamelessly roamed her face.


    If he could have her willingly, he''d prefer it that way. But he wouldn''t mind forcing the issue if he had to.


    Ste''s expression was icy. "Mr. Gibson, are you sure you''re in the right room?" Her frosty tone only spurred him on. Stuart''s desire to dominate red.<fn6f61> Readplete version only at Find[?]ovel</fn6f61>


    He moved closer, his smile twisted. "You know, the pretty boy you were just with- he looks better than most women, but I''ll bet he''s nothing but a pretty face. No substance at all. Why don''t you give me a try? I''ll show you what a real man is."


    As if that weren''t enough, he added, "Stick with me, and you can have all the contracts and deals you want. Whatever you ask for, it''s yours."


    He couldn''t hold himself back any longer and lunged at her.


    Ste''s face remained calm, not a hint of panic. The moment he reached for her, she grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm behind his back, and mmed him to the ground, pinning him beneath her heel.


    She''d been through this kind of harassment too many times before, so she''d taken up self-defense with a private instructor. She wasn''t a master by any means, but handling someone like Stuart—a spoiled brat bloated by wine and privilege was no challenge at all.


    Stuart hadn''t expected this delicate woman to have any fight in her. He''d had some training years ago, but it had long since been dulfed by indulgence and excess. He was no match for Ste.  s


    Her stiletto pressed into his cheek, and for Stuart-who''d never suffered a setback in his life-it was an unbearable humiliation.


    "Bitch!" he spat, his face contorting with rage. "How dare you do this to me? Do you even know who I am?"


    Ste had learned a thing or two about trust fund kids like himtely, and she despised his type more than anything.


    She looked down at him, eyes cold. "Didn''t you just say who you were, Mr. Gibson?"


    "You know who I am, and you still treat


    like this?" Stuart snarledet


    his eyes wild, "I''ll make sure regret this for the rest of you


    you


    life!


    s


    Ste''s smile was cial. "Mr. Gibson, if anyone''s going to regret this, it''ll be you."


    Before Stuart could process her words, the door opened again.


    His face paled. He''d sent someone to stall Joshua-how could the man be back already?


    The door swung open, and a tall, broad-shouldered young man strode in. His dark eyes turned instantly Stormy at the sight before him his


    handsome features hardened, radiating a cold fury that filled the room.  s


    BUMS


    Ste caught the dangerous glint in his eyes and tensed.


    Stuart, desperate, shouted, "Hey, pretty boy! If you help me out here and take this woman down with me, I''ll give you ten million!"