Zoe POV

The words hit me like a physical blow and I freeze, my body instinctively recoiling as I lean back in my chair and stare at Mr. Clark with sudden wariness flooding through me.

I'm shocked, genuinely shocked, because while I knew Mr. Clark was manipulative and calculating I at least expected him to have more sophistication than Sergio, more subtlety in his approach, but apparently I was wrong—apparently he's just as crude and direct in his demands, ...