She spoke up suddenly, and Connor could hardly hide his eagerness for a moment alone with her.


    "Sure, you pick the time-I''lle get you."


    Connor took Gwh''s request as a date, secretly thrilled by the prospect.


    But all Gwh wanted was to blow off some steam by racing-nothing more.


    By the time Leonie returned, Connor was already gone.


    She spotted two teacups sitting on the table and, without hesitation, picked up the


    one Connor had used, draining the rest of his tea in a single gulp.


    Gwh considered saying something, but decided against it. No need toplicate things.


    Meanwhile, Hawthorne sat on his living room couch, watching a video Leonie had secretly sent over.


    He could see she''d lost a significant amount of weight-her corbones, visible as she ate, looked almost sharp enough to pierce her skin.


    Watching made his chest tighten with worry.


    A message popped up at the top of his phone screen.


    "Hawthorne, I''m feeling a little dizzy. Can youe check on me?"


    It was from Patti Yale. Hawthorne replied instantly: "On my way."


    Today, atst, everything shoulde to an end.


    He got in the car and started toward Patti''s ce, listening on the drive to a voice memo Hans had sent him.


    "You need to find a way to get him drunk. After all this time, you still haven''t slept with him—and you say he likes you? Don''t you want to be Mrs. Everhart? Once you''ve slept with him and end up pregnant, I''ll wire two hundred million straight into your ount. Get Hawthorne to put all his assets in your kid''s name. Then you''ll really win at life. Greenvale will be mine, and the Everhart fortune will be yours..."


    James hade up with a real masterpiece. The more Hawthorne listened, the colder his expression became.


    A two-hour drive gave him plenty of time to plot their downfall. At home, Patti had already changed into her most seductive lingerie.


    While waiting for Hawthorne, she opened a bottle of red wine. She''d tasted her share of expensive vintages and could tell at a nce that the wine Hawthorne kept at home was worth a fortune.  s


    She finished off the most expensive bottle, then hunted down another-this one


    worth a small fortune as well-and opened that too.


    Most of Hawthorne''s wine cer


    was filled with high-end bottles. She selected the cheapest one for the two of them to shareter. Ther rest, she nned to savor slowly or her own.  s


    By the time Hawthorne arrived, the carpet was scattered with crimson rose petals, the lights throughout the house were off and the long hing table was set with fresh flowers and flickering candles. ''s


    A vintage gramophone yed gentle ssical music in the background as


    Hawthorne strode inside, his gaze icy and unmoved.


    "Hawthorne, is that you?"<fn235a> Discover more novels at F?nd-Novel</fn235a>


    A sh of red darted from the bedroom-Patti flung herself straight into his arms.


    "There''s a spider—”


    After drinking, she''d taken a long bath, scrubbing herself until her skin was soft and fragrant, though the heavy scent of wine still clung stubbornly to her.


    When Hawthorne caught a whiff of wine on Gwh, it always seemed rich and intoxicating. But Patti''s breath was so saturated with alcohol, he felt dizzy just standing near her.


    Still, she insisted on pressing herself against him.


    Hawthorne kept his hands strictly to himself, making no move to hold her.


    Patti''s nightgown left little to the imagination, and she wasn''t wearing anything underneath.


    She melted against him, her body soft and pliant. Any man with less self-control would have given in already and carried her straight to bed.


    "This house has regr pest control. There aren''t any spiders. Now, let go..."