Her breath caught she wasn’t expecting to see him .
Her pulse spiked. “Why are you here, Preston? Do you stalk all your clients?”
His smile deepened, eyes glinting with something unreadable. “No, I don’t,” he said, stepping closer, voice low and smooth. “But you… you’re different. I want something from you.”
Her chest tightened. “What?”
“I want you to be my wife.”
She blinked, her heart stumbling over itself. “What? why?”
“ For my own personal reasons,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering. “I can’t tell you why. Not yet. But I can promise you this — I’ll protect you. I won’t hurt you.”
Zoe’s throat burned, her defenses slamming up like a wall. “I don’t want anything to do with my past,” she said, voice sharp. “And I’m done with marriage out of convenience.”
Preston’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes, like he understood her more than she realized.
“Zoe,” he said, voice low and deliberate, “I’m offering you power and connection. Let me destroy them for you. I know you don’t need it, but I can help. Let me be your backbone.”
He pulled out his phone and held it up to her.
Headlines flashed across the screen.