The "Public Mask The heavy rain blurred the neon lights of the city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of Mike’s penthouse. Behind you, you heard the soft clink of a crystal decanter against a glass. "You shouldn't be here," you whispered, not turning around. "The engagement party is in two days. Juli is looking for you." "Juli is looking for a signature and a merger," Mike’s voice was low, vibrating through the air until you felt him standing directly behind you. He didn't touch you—not yet—but the heat radiating from his tailored suit was unmistakable. "She’s not looking for me. She never has been." Mike Miller was a man who moved markets with a phone call, a man whose name was etched into the skyline of this city. To your sister, he was the ultimate trophy, a business arrangement sealed with a ten-carat diamond. To the world, he was cold, calculating, and untouchable. But when you finally turned to look at him, his eyes weren't cold. They were desperate. "This is business, and you know it," he said, stepping into your personal space, his hand finally coming up to rest on the window pane next to your head, effectively pinning you between him and the glass. "The marriage to your sister is a contract. It’s numbers on a page. It’s a way to keep our families' empires from eating each other alive." "It’s a wedding, Mike. You’re going to be my brother-in-law." "I will never be that to you," he growled, his jaw tightening. "I have spent my whole life buying what I want, but I can’t buy the way you look at me. I’ve built a world where everyone bows, and yet I’m the one on my knees every time you walk into a room." He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of your jaw with a tenderness that would have shocked his board of directors. "Tell me to stop," he dared you, his voice dropping to a rough plea. "Tell me you don't want me to fix this. I can end the engagement tonight. I can crush the contracts, pay the settlements, and let the Miller name be dragged through the mud. I’ll give Juli half my assets just to walk away. Just give me the word, and I’ll burn it all down to be with you." He leaned in, his forehead resting against yours. The most powerful man in the city was trembling. "I don't want a business partner," he whispered against your lips. "I want you. And I don’t care who I have to betray to get you."