Chapter 1 - The Weight of Gold
The ice in the room did not melt when the ambulance arrived.
Harrison Blackwell stood over Olivia like a silent monument carved from marble and shadow.
His tailored suit cost more than Olivia made in three years at the catering company.
"Do not touch her arm," Harrison commanded the paramedic in a voice like crushed velvet.
The paramedic froze instantly.
Everyone in the room knew who Harrison was.
When Harrison spoke, billionaire executives held their breath.
He knelt beside Olivia, ignoring the broken glass and spilled champagne soaking into the knees of his trousers.
"What is your name?" he asked softly.
His eyes were a storm of dark gray.
"Olivia," she whispered through gritted teeth.
Pain radiated from her shattered shoulder down to her fingertips.
"Olivia Brooks," she added, her voice trembling.
Harrison reached out and gently brushed a stray curl away from her forehead.
"You saved my son, Olivia," he said, his gaze locking onto hers with terrifying intensity.
"Now your life belongs to my protection."
He turned to his chief security officer standing rigid behind him.
"Clear the street."
"Get the private helicopter on the roof."
"She goes to my private medical wing immediately."
The manager of the catering company rushed forward, red-faced and sweating through his tuxedo.
"Mr. Blackwell, wait!" the manager stammered.
"She broke thousands of dollars worth of crystal!"
"She left her shift during a VIP event!"
Harrison stood up slowly.
The atmosphere in the room plummeted below freezing.
He looked down at the catering manager as if he were a bug on his shoe.
"Buy his company tomorrow morning," Harrison told his assistant without turning around.
"Then fire him."
"And make sure he never works in this city again."
The manager turned white as paper.
Harrison looked back down at Olivia, who was struggling to stay conscious.
"You will never take orders from weak men again, Miss Brooks."
As they lifted her onto the stretcher, Olivia saw Harrison’s son, Ethan, watching her with wide, tear-filled eyes.
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Beside the boy stood Harrison’s high-society fiancée, Victoria Vance.
Victoria was looking at Olivia not with gratitude, but with pure, toxic hatred.
