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“He was a er, so yes, I was his date But he also putthe firm’s charitable foundation”

“Ha!” He released her with a lifting of his hands in rejection “Van Eych help the less fortunate? Now I know you’re lying”

“I’m not” The words rushed out, but a sense of loss washed over her as well Let him believe what he wants to believe, she told herself, but if she was allowed to set the record straight, she wanted to, especially if he’d fired her because he thought she was involved with Victor Maybe he would reconsider if he believed she hadn’t been Maybe that’s what he’d meant when he’d said he didn’t want her if Victor had had her

Dish her She didn’t want hi to rescue the foundation If there was even a re the foundation alive, she had to try

Veering fro and unzipped it “You won’t have seen it on the books because it’s not up and running, but I can show you…”

Most of her records were on her laptop and it took forever to wake up, but she had a slender file with proof of the logo she’d recently approved It wasn’t the fanciest letterhead, but it gave the foundation an identity and made it real Her heart pounded with pride every time she looked at it She showed him

“‘Brighter Days’? It looks like a child drew it” He barely glanced at it

“It’s supposed to! It’s an organization that provides funding to group horants to orphaned children so they can develop independence”

“By underwriting their lives?”

“By providing support of many kinds!” Insulted, Clair whipped the file closed “You obviously don’t knohat it’s like to be without parents or you’d have so, she let her hair fall forward to screen hoounded she was by his cynicism

“Or maybe I do and I didn’t have the luxury of handouts to help erously quiet

The truth in the hardened brass of his gaze ht have shared soles struck a chord of kinship in her, but he e her defensive response

“So did I,” she challenged “I’ to help others”

His hard laugh cracked the air “Van Eych gave you this flat, a er’s salary, and countless other favors for that face” He pointed at her features, then let his gaze traverse insultingly down her narrow shape “A other attributes Not for any s yourself up by your bootstraps”

He acted as if this illustration was all she had to show for her year of research and ulf her, but to let hi him a weapon he didn’t deserve to hold

“I don’t care if you believe me,” she said stiffly “You’re obviously a bully who kicks people around for the fun of it If you’d like to wait in your flat next door, I’ll clear out of this one by ht”

Such an ice queen, walking into the bedroo out the bait that she’d never let Van Eych have her He wondered how she’d hoainst her and dis what she wanted froled hi a play with one bold look before he even knew her name

He aliven herself to Van Eych, so long as he possessed her, which left hi from him: not just his parents and hoht to a norht to want to bury her, not bury himself in her

He told himself her defiance provoked hies as he had was internally progra cat and show her he wasn’t the easy dalliance she was used to She wouldn’t be the biddable sex kitten he was used to either, but that