Matthew’s eyes gleamed, satisfied, as though he’d just closed a deal that mattered only to him. There was a cold calculation in the way he leaned against the edge of the bed, fingers grazing the polished wood as he adjusted his cufflinks, the gesture almost casual—as if everything between us could be reduced to numbers and transactions.

“I asked my mother to speak to you,” he said smoothly, his voice steady, unnervingly calm, like a man delivering a business proposal rather than ...