Page 96 of Unlock My Heart

Saint lifts his briefcase from the floor, popping it open on the table and counting out stacks of wrapped hundreds before sliding the cash over to me.

“Clearly, I should’ve asked for more,” I tell him with an annoyed huff, eyeing the leftover hundreds in his briefcase.

“Sign here, here, and here.” He points to the document signature lines.

I grab the pen and sign the hotel away, and honestly, I’m not sad about it.

“Wonderful. Is there anything else I can help you with before I visit Mr. Calvani?” He gathers the stack and places it in his briefcase.

“Since your boss is going to find out anyway, Jermaine from the hotel is going to be my personal assistant.” I’m under no illusion that Saint is loyal to me, and Jermaine is the only person from my old life that I halfway trust. “Oh, and Fabien will be footing the bill.”

“I’ll relay the information to the boss,” he says with dry amusement. “Anything else?”

I shake my head. “I’m leaving early so I can stop by admissions and pay my tuition⁠—”

“Your tuition’s already been paid for,” Saint assures me.

So my phone’s bugged.

Good to know.

“Sure I can’t talk you into visiting Mr. Calvani?” Saint implores.

My eyes narrow over my coffee cup. “Never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He nods, rising and walking for the door. “Saint?” I call.

“Yes, Mrs. Calvani?” He pauses.

“I hope you didn’t give your loyalty to a man who doesn’t deserve it.”

Saint considers me for a moment. “You think that’s what happened to you, Mrs. Calvani, but you’re wrong.”

His matter-of-factness has me bristling. “For a man who wasn’t there, you seem awfully sure.”

“You’re right: I wasn’t there. But even if I was, eyewitness testimony is inherently unreliable, and do you know why?”

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” I say dryly.

“You and I can watch the same scene unfold, and yet we both come to different conclusions about what really happened. I see a man who watched you nearly die and got rescued by his rival, and because he loved you so much, he let you be with the man, placing your happiness above his own.”

An uncomfortable lump in my throat has me swallowing. “But there’s a flaw in your perception, Clark. I didn’t watch the scene; I lived it.”

“And you think your perception has no biases?” Saint challenges.

“If anyone gets to have biases, it’s me and my damn perception. Jesus, I liked you better when you were all business,” I gripe.

He holds up his hands. “And that’s your prerogative on all counts. Enjoy your class.”

I’m left to sip my coffee, stew over Saint’s words, and wonder why half a million in cash has done nothing to quell my need for revenge.

Fabien

The present

“What did the warden say?” My leg bounces up and down impatiently as Saint enters the room.

“He’s reviewed your sentence and thinks we can get around it with a time served recalculation. One million cash at the drop point, and you walk out of here within twenty-four hours of the transfer.”