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Betty gave a final wave and strode away

Zoey leaned back against the groo table and released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding The room swam a little She shut her eyes and breathed past the panic creeping up her throat She was done with lies Having just told oneout of her skin

Her cell phone beeped in her hand She expected Elise, but that wasn’t who texted her

The guys and I are going for dinner tonight at Skyline Interested in joining us?

She stared at thelike the world was deter with her Was this a date? Okay, no, his friends were going Did that make her one of his friends? Friends with benefits, maybe?

All the logical parts in Zoey’s brain fired off a hard response of “no” Wasn’t it better to keep things strictly to Phoenix? But her head was spinning, her heart all types of confused Both Elise and Hazel orking tonight, whicha step away fro back into that dark place she’d just crawled out of, she fired off her response What time?

7:00 pm See you then

Zoey pressed her cell phone against her chest and exhaled One breath after another, after another, after another A few h Then she could leave this city and her pain behind Until then, she had Rhys…and his ability to help her forget everything

Stars blanketed the sky later that night when Rhys answered his phone “Hello, Mother” He sat atop New York City’s hottest dinner spot, Skyline, a rooftop restaurant Lights fro as far as the eye could see

“Rhys, ton, asked, her voice soft yet lacking the warmth Rhys had heard from other mothers

“Things are good here,” Rhys replied, one ar “I take it you’ve been sent the quarterly report?” Earlier today, Harrington Finance delivered the report he knew his father had been waiting on

“We did receive it, yes,” Alice said “But that’s not the only reason why I’”

Yeah, right

Rhys kept the thought to hi about it, your father was quite pleased with this quarter”

“I’ton fortune was up ten percent for this last quarter Rhys’ personal finances were up by twenty percent, soton fortune under his hen he’d stepped into his father’s role at Harrington Finance when his father retired, but that stress became tiresome Especially after Katherine’s death Wealth had its advantages, but it could not buy happiness, and it certainly didn’t buy his Now Rhys’ cousin Williaton Finance, and while Rhys was still involved in the decisionstep back to his father’s fierce displeasure Now, alongside being CEO of the cigar club, he also invested his e funds, new drugs and research for cancer, and real estate Rhys had questioned his choice of walking away from his family’s powerful company, but the move had been a smart one He now had full financial independence fro I need to hear on