Chapter 3

The Reed Industries tower pierced the Seattle skyline like a steel blade, its glass façade reflecting the gray morning clouds that matched my mood perfectly. I stood before the imposing building, my black coat whipping in the wind, clutching a manila folder that contained everything I needed to destroy Pierce Montgomery.

Three days had passed since I'd buried my daughter. Three days since I'd watched Pierce comfort Eloise while our child lay cold in the ground. The grief still clawed at my chest with every breath, but beneath it burned something far more dangerous—a cold, calculated fury that had crystallized into purpose.

The elevator carried me to the forty-second floor in silence. Conrad Reed's office occupied the entire corner, floor-to-ceiling windows offering a commanding view of the city below. He stood with his back to me when his secretary ushered me in, his broad shoulders outlined against the skyline.

"Mrs. Montgomery." He turned, and I was struck by the contrast he presented to Pierce. Where my husband was all sharp edges and cold calculation, Conrad possessed a quiet strength that seemed to fill the room without demanding attention. His dark eyes held intelligence and something else—compassion, perhaps. It had been so long since I'd seen that emotion directed at me that I almost didn't recognize it.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." I settled into the leather chair across from his desk, placing the folder carefully on my lap. "I believe my father mentioned our families' connection?"

"Robert Hughes saved my grandfather's life during the war." Conrad's voice was measured, respectful. "When he called and said his daughter needed help, I couldn't refuse. Though I admit, I was surprised by the nature of your request."

I opened the folder, spreading photographs and documents across his polished desk. Bank statements showing Pierce's extravant gifts to Eloise. Medical records from my own hospital visits after his 'punishments.' And finally, the coroner's report that confirmed what I already knew—Lily could have been saved if she'd received immediate medical attention.

"Pierce Montgomery killed my daughter." The words came out steady, emotionless. I'd practiced them until they no longer made me weep. "Not directly, perhaps, but his negligence was as deadly as any weapon. I want him to lose everything, just as he made me lose everything."

Conrad studied the documents, his jaw tightening as he read. When he reached the photographs of Lily's injuries, something dangerous flickered in his eyes. "I've known Pierce was a bastard in business, but this..." He looked up at me. "This is monstrous."

"Will you help me?"

He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he considered. "My grandfather is dying. He has one wish—to see me married before he passes. He's been asking about you specifically ever since you helped him at the hospital last year. Do you remember?"

I did remember. An elderly man had collapsed in the lobby while I was visiting Lily after one of Pierce's 'training sessions.' I'd stayed with him until the paramedics arrived, holding his hand and talking him through his panic. It had seemed like nothing at the time.

"A contractual marriage," Conrad continued. "You become my fiancée, fulfill my grandfather's dying wish, and in return, I provide you with the resources and connections you need for your revenge. My business rivals become your allies. My intelligence network becomes your weapon."

"And after?"

"After Pierce Montgomery's empire crumbles, we part ways. Clean, simple, no emotional complications." His eyes met mine. "Unless, of course, we decide otherwise."

I considered his offer. It was perfect—too perfect, perhaps. "Why? You barely know me. Why risk your reputation, your business, for a stranger's revenge?"

Conrad stood and walked to the window, his hands clasped behind his back. "Because I've watched Pierce Montgomery destroy everything he touches for years. His business practices, his treatment of employees, his casual cruelty disguised as strength. I've been looking for a way to bring him down that wouldn't make me as ruthless as he is." He turned back to me. "You're offering me that chance while allowing me to honor my grandfather's final wish. It's not charity, Mrs. Montgomery. It's justice."

I gathered the documents, my decision crystallizing like ice in my veins. "When do we begin?"

"Immediately. I'll have my lawyers draw up the necessary agreements. In the meantime, you'll need to disappear. Completely. Can you do that?"

I thought of the empty house that had never felt like home, of the husband who'd never loved me, of the life that had died with my daughter. "Yes. I can disappear."

Conrad extended his hand. When I took it, his grip was firm, steady—nothing like Pierce's possessive grasp. "Then welcome to the Reed family, Mrs. Montgomery. Let's give Pierce Montgomery the wedding gift he deserves."

As I left his office, I caught my reflection in the elevator's polished doors. The woman staring back at me looked like Savannah Montgomery, but I knew better. That woman had died with her daughter. The person walking out of this building was someone else entirely—someone with the power to make Pierce Montgomery pay for every tear, every bruise, every moment of my daughter's short, unloved life.

The game was about to begin, and this time, I held all the cards.