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Interest burned bright in Chloe’s e?”

“Nineteen”

“How old was she?” Chloe asked, proving an insight he didn’t expect

“Twenty-seven” And Shannon had had an entire universe worth

He’d avoided it because of what he’d seen in his parents’ es, so he’d been entirely unprepared for a piranha like Shannon to come into his life

Chloe stopped eating, fiddling with her silverware instead “How long did it last?”

“Long enough for her to gather enough inside information so her father could steal a h for hiether always

Even then, he’d been jaded about e, so when she’d broached the subject, he’d said they didn’t need legal bindings to knohat they were to each other It had been all roiven thanks for that one sht

“I … oh …” Chloe frowned, her eyes troubled “It wasn’t like that with us”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No, of course not I didn’t try to get any deals for my father”

“You got him a lot of cash”

“That was your idea … yours and his I wasn’t even brought in until the deal between you tas negotiated”

“True” He frowned, annoyed by the fact that their discussion had already gone off script to what he’d planned “We got sidetracked rather spectacularly earlier You never answered my question”

For several seconds Chloe looked confused, but then her expression cleared, only to turn into a frown “Younot to know?”

“It is no pretense You have agreed that you’ve changed, implied there is no love lost between you and your father, and yet here you are”