ROWEN

The morning came too quickly.

Sunlight poured through the half-drawn curtains of my bedroom at the villa, streaking long golden shafts across the dark hardwood floor. I had been awake long before the light broke the sky open.

My mind had been restless, sharp with calculations. Reports. Board meetings. The pending Fong merger. Ethan’s erratic behavior. And most of all—Elora.

Her silence had become a storm cloud that hovered over me.

I didn’t blame her. Not entirely. I hadn’t exactly been warm. Keeping my distance was intentional. She was sharp.

She’d already started suspecting there were layers to this game she wasn’t seeing yet. And if Ethan had done...