“Which girl?” Trace Ryan tossed a detached glance at Damari Jacobs.
“The one we just passed at the entrance. You know, Skye Montgomery — the former Montgomery heiress,” Damari said, clicking his tongue in disdain. “She’s a real stunner, but with her father’s conviction dragging her name through the mud, who in this city would dare marry her?”
Trace arched an eyebrow, a cold glint flickering in his eyes. “And you’re sure Jonathan Montgomery’s guilty? Were you there to watch it go down?”
Damari blinked, caught off guard by the sudden edge in Trace’s voice. “The court ruled on it. How could it be wrong?”
Trace answered flatly, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“You think Jonathan was framed?” Damari asked, curiosity prickling.
Trace’s chiseled face stayed unreadable. “Montgomery Corp was thriving. Do you honestly think he’d torch all that for a few million bucks?”
A year ago, Trace had met Jonathan Montgomery face-to-face. Jonathan had been calm, steady, the kind of man who wouldn’t sell his soul for a paycheck. How could someone like that stoop to embezzlement? In business, every crack is a lever — one an opponent can use to bring you down for good.
Damari’s eyes went wide. “So somebody set him up?”
Trace shot him a loaded look, then said nothing as he strode into a law office.
Damari scrambled to keep up.
“Trace, Damari — glad you made it!” A man with wire-rimmed glasses and a slick, polished air rose to greet them. Victor Reid. “I’ve pulled together every loophole Wagner Corp’s been exploiting. All set for your review.”
Trace gave a short nod. “Thanks for the hard work.”
Damari couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Trace, I don’t get it. Our partnership with Wagner is rock-solid — Kash Wagner’s not stupid enough to cross us. Why dig into him?”
A flash of Skye’s delicate, innocent face crossed Trace’s mind, and he asked in a low voice, “Why was Skye here earlier?”
He aimed the question at Victor.
Victor felt a jolt of surprise. Trace never showed interest in women — let alone someone like Skye Montgomery, who’d become a punchline in their social circles. Still, he answered honestly. “Skye came in looking for a lawyer to handle her sister’s divorce. I’ve assigned someone to the case.”
Trace’s brows knit together, his gaze sharpening. “You take this case personally.”
That wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command.
Victor’s stomach dropped. Trace personally assigning him a case? Unheard of. And Skye was the first. There had to be something going on between them.
Damari suddenly remembered that Kash Wagner — the president of Wagner Corp — used to be Jonathan’s business partner. After the Montgomery collapse, Kash had wasted no time distancing himself and pinning every bit of blame on Jonathan. Yet Ryan and Wagner’s partnership had never skipped a beat. Damari couldn’t help but smirk. “Trace, you’re really into Skye, huh? But her ex was your nephew...”
He didn’t get to finish. Trace’s icy stare cut him off mid-sentence. “If you’re that attached to your tongue, I can fix that.”
Damari clamped his mouth shut immediately. Was a little joke a crime now?
Suddenly, a phone rang.
Trace glanced at the screen, his expression darkening at the caller ID. He hung up without a second thought.
Victor caught a glimpse of the name and couldn’t resist asking, “Trace, you’ve been back with the Ryan family for two years now. Haven’t you thought about reconciling with Soren Ryan?”
Trace’s eyes went cold as forged steel. “He doesn’t deserve it.”
The room went silent, the tension pressing down like a weight.
Damari knew that bringing up Soren around Trace was basically stepping on a landmine. Hoping to shift gears, he tried, “Hey Trace, where’s that watch Marcus gave you? Haven’t seen you wearing it lately.”
He’d meant to lighten the mood — but all he did was ice over Trace’s demeanor even more.
Trace’s gaze clouded. “Left it at the family house.”
Last week, he’d stopped by for Ryan Corp business and accidentally left the watch in the study.
Damari sighed internally. Apparently, his foot had a permanent home in his mouth.
Meanwhile, Skye sat in a taxi heading for the hospital. As the scenery blurred past, a faint crease formed on her delicate brow. She’d hoped to leave some impression on Trace — but clearly, she was just another face in the crowd.
Her phone buzzed. Seeing her best friend Annika Carpenter’s name, she picked up. “Annika.”
“Skye, so how did it go last night? Did Trace take the bait?” Annika’s voice crackled with excitement.
Skye thought of Trace’s cold gaze and let out a sigh. “Not yet.”
“With your face and charm, how could Trace Ryan not notice you? Are you sure he’s not into dudes?” Annika joked, incredulous.
