Chapter 13

The door creaked open to reveal chaos.

An overstuffed duffel bag gaped open on the floor, its contents spilling out like a thrift store explosion. Worn-out garments lay tangled across the bed—threadbare sweaters, faded jeans, and blouses with fraying seams.

Alexander stepped inside, his polished Oxfords crunching over a stray button. His icy gaze swept the room.

Had Alice Carter really fled with his $50,000?

The thought made his jaw tighten. He pivoted on his heel, car keys already in hand. Within minutes, his black Bentley was slicing through traffic toward Grandview Medical Center.

Margaret Bennett wasn't in her hospital suite.

Neither was Alice.

Alexander's thumb hovered over his phone screen. He could forgive many things, but lying to his dying mother? Unforgivable.

One ring.

"Mr. Knight!" Alice's breathless voice crackled through the line. "I-I know I missed visiting hours today, but there was an emergency—"

"Location. Now." The words came out like shards of glass.

"A construction site near the southwest suburbs. I'm—"

"The Grandview. Two hours." He terminated the call mid-sentence.

——

Dust swirled around Alice's scuffed pumps as she adjusted the measuring tape. The recruiter's skepticism still burned in her ears: "Miss Carter, are you here to design buildings or sweep streets?"

She'd responded by unfurling her hand-drawn blueprints—every load-bearing beam meticulously annotated, every stress point calculated despite her third-hand drafting tools.

Now, as she verified rebar thickness in the foundation pit, her stomach churned. Not from morning sickness, but from the ticking clock.

"Alice!" Gregory Lewis beckoned from the scaffolding. "Need you to relocate these cinder blocks before you go."

Her fingers tightened around the measuring tape. This wasn't in the job description. But with rent due and hospital bills piling up...

"Of course."

For thirty agonizing minutes, she hauled concrete blocks in heels, her blouse sticking to her back. Unseen, a silver McLaren idled at the curb.

"Look at that," Dominic Pierce drawled to Ethan Reynolds. "Like a feral kitten dragging prey. Bet she's never even been kissed."

Ethan snorted. "Try it and she'll probably file a harassment suit."

Dominic's grin turned predatory. "I'll have her purring my name by week's end."

——

The bus never came.

Alice checked her cracked phone screen—55 minutes left. Her pulse spiked when the McLaren purred to a stop beside her.

"Need a lift, little mouse?" Dominic leaned across the passenger seat, his Rolex glinting.

She stepped back.

"Relax." He jerked his chin toward Gregory. "Ask your boss if I'm trustworthy."

The manager practically bowed. "Mr. Pierce owns the development company, Alice. You should be honored!"

The leather seat felt like a trap as Dominic programmed the navigation. "The Grandview? Fancy place for a..." His eyes raked over her outfit. "...structural analyst."

Alice stared fixedly out the window.

"You realize they're exploiting you, right?" Dominic tapped the steering wheel. "Ghost designers get paid half-rate with no benefits."

"I need the job."

His laugh was all teeth. "I could triple your salary with one phone call."

"Drop me here." She reached for the door handle as they neared the restaurant.

Dominic caught her wrist. "When you're tired of being their doormat, call me." He pressed a card into her palm—thick vellum with embossed gold lettering.

Alice sprinted toward The Grandview's entrance, only to collide with a wall of tulle.

Victoria Sullivan's bridal tiara wobbled as she blocked the doorway. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The diamond on Victoria's left hand flashed like a warning. The same hand that had once left fingernail crescents in Alice's arm during their boarding school days.

Behind them, Alexander emerged from the shadows, his expression glacial. "Right on time, Miss Carter."

Victoria's smile turned venomous. "Darling, you didn't tell me you'd invited the help to our engagement party."