A Game with One Winner

“Ah, you speak to me of ruthlessness? Interesting.”

Caroline clicked her pen open and closed. Open and closed. “Why is that interesting? You’ve been traveling the globe for the past two years, collecting companies, and still you aren’t satisfied. I’d call that ruthless.”

“Perhaps not as ruthless as stomping on a man’s heart,” he said evenly. There was no hint of emotion in that voice, no warmth or coolness, and she shuddered involuntarily.

“As if you haven’t made a second career of breaking women’s hearts,” she said, her pulse thrumming in her throat, her wrists.

“I learned from the best.”

Caroline closed her eyes, willing herself to stay focused. He was trying to rattle her—and he was doing a good job. Since the moment she’d seen him last night at that party, she’d been on edge. Fear, stress, anger, regret—they all coiled together in a giant lead ball in her belly.

“Tell me what you want, Roman,” she said. “Why are you calling me now, and how do you know my meeting is canceled?”

“I know because I canceled it.”

Her stomach dropped into her toes. “You canceled it. And how did you manage that?” she asked, though she feared she had a good idea what he was about to say.

“There is no longer a need to discuss your loans with the bank, solnyshko.”

“You bought the loans,” she said, a lump forming in her throat. She’d known it was a possibility that someone could buy their debt, but her family had been dealing with Crawford International Bank for years. Her father and Leland Crawford had been golf buddies, and she’d had no reason to think he would ever consider selling the loans without first coming to them.

The last time she’d seen Leland, he’d assured her he was in their corner. He hadn’t been happy with her father’s sudden “retirement,” though he did not know the reason behind it. No one did, other than her, her mother and Sullivan’s board of directors.

And she intended to keep it that way. Her family didn’t need the public scrutiny while their loved one suffered from a cruel disease that robbed him of his memory and his life. The board—some of whom had been sitting when she’d still been a little girl in a school uniform—supported her leadership. Leland knew that much, even if he didn’t know the reason. That he would sell the loans without giving her a chance stunned her.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. What was done was done.

This was a setback, but it wasn’t the end by any stretch.

“You bought the loans, but you haven’t bought Sullivan’s,” she said fiercely. “We are not in default and you can’t foreclose.”

Roman laughed again, a soft chuckle that made the hairs on her arms prickle in response. “You are not in default yet.”

Caroline gripped the phone. Hard. “We won’t default. I promise you that.”

“Very good, Caroline,” he said. “Fight me. I like a challenge.”

“Really? I would have thought you preferred your quarry to lie down and roll over before your overwhelming might.”

“Oh, I like that too. But only when it’s appropriate.”

Caroline sucked in a breath. How did he manage to infuse such an innocuous statement with blistering sex appeal?

“I have to go now,” she said tightly. “I have work to do.”

“Da, you have much to do. And when you are finished for the day, you will join me for dinner.”

“I think not,” Caroline said, hot anger rising in her throat, flushing her skin with heat. “You bought the loans. You did not buy me.”

“Think carefully, Caroline,” he growled. “It wouldn’t take much for your suppliers to cut off your line of credit. If that happens, you will surely default. And then I will own it all. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“You would go that far?” she said bitterly. “You would interfere with our supply chain in order to win?”

“I think you already know the answer to your questions.”

A moment later, the line went dead.

CHAPTER FOUR

Secret Tryst? Sullivan Heiress Spotted Entering Hotel

BLAKE MILLER THREW her a worried glance as she moved around her dressing room, searching for the right earrings to go with the pink Valentino sheath she’d chosen for the evening.

“Are you planning to tell him?” Blake asked.

Caroline yanked open a drawer and seized the pearl drop earrings she’d been looking for. She was absolutely furious. After her conversation with Roman, she’d had to change into her running gear and hit the company gym for an hour just so she would calm down.

It hadn’t worked as well as she would have liked. She was worn-out, but still angry.

She’d had no intention of jumping to Roman’s tune, but she’d finally realized that he had her right where he wanted her. She couldn’t let him interfere with Sullivan’s supply chain, not when she needed every trick at her disposal to make the loan payment on time.

She would go to dinner. But that did not mean she had to like it.

“Tell him what?” Caroline asked as she shoved one of the posts into her ear.

Blake frowned. “About Ryan.”

Caroline jerked, her gaze shooting toward the door. But Ryan wasn’t there, and she let out a sharp sigh.

“He’s watching a cartoon with a sponge character,” Blake said.

Caroline tried to smile, though she wanted to chew nails. But not because of Blake. She softened her tone. “You know very well what the name of the cartoon is. We’ve only had to watch it a gazillion times.”

He shrugged. “I know. But I’m refusing to acknowledge I do in hopes I’ll be able to forget those horrible songs.”

“Good luck with that,” she said. “I think they’re imprinted in my memory forever.”

She finished putting on her earrings and studied herself in the mirror. There were purple smudges beneath her eyes, and her cheekbones were looking a little sharp. She needed to work less and eat a little more often, but she’d been so stressed lately that sleep and eating were not her top priorities.

“Caroline.” She turned toward Blake to find him watching her worriedly. “You didn’t answer my question.”

She closed her eyes. “I know.” Then she came over and took his hands in hers. “I love you, Blake. You’re the best thing that ever happened to Jon, and I love that you’re a part of our lives. Without you, taking care of my little boy these days would be a lot harder.”

Blake shrugged. His green eyes seemed to overflow with sadness for a moment, but then he sucked it in and gave her a smile. “I love you and Ryan, too. You’ve kept me sane these last months since Jon died.” Blake squeezed her hands. “He wanted you to be happy, Caroline. He worried about you.”