From Boardroom to Bedroom

“My father’s will left everything to Miranda,” Sophie started. “My brothers and I got nothing.”

“So you’re seeking revenge as some sort of poor little rich girl?”

Sophie swallowed and blinked back unshed tears. “I know that’s what it looks like, but the money has nothing to do with it. Miranda doesn’t deserve anything from my father. She just married him for the fortune—the ranch and all of its history mean nothing to her. She has my childhood home and everything else that should remain in the Blackwood family.”

Nigel stared at her from the slit in his lids. “So you came here to what? Find dirt on Miranda and then blackmail her into giving you back what you want? That sounds petty and childish.”

“No, it sounds like my brothers and I want our home back. We want to be able to keep that in the family,” she cried. “Miranda doesn’t care about Royal like we do. She has her own life, her own empire. My brother and his wife are expecting a child and we want to carry on the Blackwood legacy.”

Sophie stared at him, waiting for some sign that he understood where she was coming from. That he might get her loyalty wasn’t a bad thing even if she’d made a bad choice.

“And did you find what you were looking for?” he finally asked.

Sophie crossed her arms over her chest. “No. I didn’t find anything negative on Miranda. And I certainly wasn’t looking to fall in love.”

now. You don’t know what love is. You don’t lie to the

few steps forward, close enough that she could reach out and place her hand on his rigid

you,” she stated. “When I applied for the job at Green Room Media, I wanted to talk to people, get some scoop

did.” Now he did turn, causing her hand to fall away. “You got close to me. You slept with me and for all I know that was part of

you’d be working one-on-one with me, I’m sure that just fit right into your deceit. I mean, who better to get gossip from than the CEO? No one in the company has spent more time with Miranda than me. Giving

you’d find out who I was, but by the time I realized I loved you, it was too late for there to be any easy way to come clean. I was afraid

you get a free trip to Cumbria. I can’t believe I was so naive not to trust my gut when I wondered if this was too

over,” she said, her voice softening as the gnawing ache threatened to constrict her. “I know you’re angry and confused and hurting. I also know I don’t deserve to ask anything of you, but I’m asking that you take time and think before you just throw me

any of this is up to me?” he snarled. “I’m not the one who threw this all away. You did. You could’ve told me at any point over the past weeks who you really were, but you opted not to. Or, hell, at the very least you could’ve told me when you claimed you

I made to them. I

loyalty would

the same person you were with in Cumbria,” she

the same person at all,” he countered. “I

you know my touch and you know I love you. If you think back to our time together, you’ll see that. You remembered what I said about that single stem, you know my food quirks, you know how well we mesh on a business level. We work together perfectly from every angle. Once