MARK

Aria, Miss Know-It-All, has turned my life into a circus.

I stood near the open bar, nursing a glass of champagne I had no interest in, watching the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel fill up with people I barely tolerated. It's Christmas Eve. Any other year, I would be halfway to a private suite in Vegas or chilling in a high-end brothel in Amsterdam with a woman who didn't ask questions. I should be relaxing and spending my stolen fortune.

Instead, I’m standing here playing the role of the perfect CEO at a gala I never asked for.

She is such a hard nut to crack. I had agreed...