Walden Wells had been a widower for three years. With a son living abroad and no ns to remarry, the women on his arm changed in a steady rotation.


    Vanessa was his newest prize—a woman he could both show off and who knew exactly how to keep him happy. It was an art she had mastered.


    Right now, the only thing Vanessa wanted from Walden Wells was his help in finding awyer to break her contract withn.


    The Goodwin family''s affairs were kept strictly private, so Walden knew very little aboutn''s mother. He''d only heard rumors that she depended on Vanessa to stay alive. The thought thatn had snatched the chairman''s seat from him still left a bitter taste in his mouth.


    At the dinner party, Vanessa was a vision in a champagne-colored slip dress. Her makeup was wless, and her every move was a graceful blend of decorum and allure that made the other men''s dates pale inparison. She was an absolute credit to him.


    "Mr. Wells, what a shame! I was so sure the chairman''s seat at the Guild of Commerce would be yours."


    "Your qualifications and experience far surpassn''s. I have no idea how he managed to get that position."


    Walden Wells''s grip on his wine ss tightened. Their words made his chest constrict with frustration.


    Just then, Vanessa returned to his side at the perfect moment, slipping her soft arm through his. "Walden, what are you all talking about?"


    Walden led her out to the terrace. "You mentioned before," he said abruptly, "that you wanted to get out of that contract withn?"


    A flicker of hope ignited in Vanessa''s eyes. "Walden, can you help me? I just want to be your woman, peacefully, without any more ties ton." As she spoke, her eyes


    reddened. "Every time thin verne:


    being used as a tool to save his mother, I get so scared-


    Walden pulled her into his arms, stroking the back of her head soothingly, though a shrewd,


    calcting glint shone in his eyes "Ian is a forceful and vindictive man. Tearing you away from him won''t be ebay. He paused, then histone shifted. "But, if we had a stronger bond between us... for the sake of our future, I would move heaven and earth to free you from him."


    Vanessa looked up, confused. "Walden, what do you mean?"


    Walden lowered his head, met her gaze, and said, word by word, "Vanessa, have a child for me."


    Vanessa froze for a few seconds. She had, of course, looked into Walden Wells''s past. The son he kept stashed away abroad was practically a stranger to him,pletely unreliable for his old age. That was why he wanted another one.


    Walden continued to paint a picture of their future. "You probably don''t know this, but I have an estranged son I can''t rely on for anything. If you givere a son, he will be my rightful me heir Then, breaking your contract withn will be the least of it.


    Everything I have will belong to you and our child."


    His words were dripping with temptation, offering Vanessa a ray of hope. Trading a child for her freedom and a secure ce in the Wells family? It was a bargain she couldn''t lose.


    "Walden, of course I want to have a child of our own, but we have to terminate my contract withn first. He won''t allow me to get pregnant. He''ll sue me."


    "Let him try." Walden''s face darkened, his voiceced with scorn. "Ian is getting ahead of himself. Does he really think he can interfere with my woman having my child?"