Chapter 4

The heavy glass door of the cafe was shoved open. Two people walked in, their loud voices shattering the quiet atmosphere.

The man leading the way was Liam, Kassie's ex-boyfriend. He wore a sharp, expensive suit, looking every bit the junior Wall Street analyst he had recently been promoted to.

Clinging tightly to Liam's arm was Janiyah Alford, Kassie's former roommate. She was draped in the latest Chanel couture, a limited-edition Birkin bag resting in the crook of her elbow.

Liam's eyes scanned the room and locked instantly onto Kassie. He noticed her faded sweater and cheap canvas bag. A cruel, arrogant smirk spread across his face.

He pulled Janiyah Alford toward the table.

Kassie's chest tightened. A wave of intense nausea rolled through her stomach. She instinctively shrank back against the leather booth, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

"Well, well, well," Liam announced loudly, stopping right next to their table. "Kassie Moody. How did you even get past the doorman?"

Janiyah Alford covered her mouth and let out a high-pitched, grating laugh. "She probably begged, Liam. You know how she is." She looked down at Kassie with pure disdain. "Are you in here soaking up the free air conditioning?"

Kassie's fingernails dug so hard into her palms they almost broke the skin. The humiliation burned hot in her chest. "Leave me alone, Liam. I'm in the middle of a meeting."

Liam threw his head back and laughed. It was an ugly, mocking sound. "A meeting? What, is the Brooklyn free clinic trying to secure a loan for more band-aids?"

He puffed out his chest, making sure his voice echoed in the quiet room. "I'm making Senior Analyst next month, Kassie. Real deals. The bonus alone could buy out your entire pathetic little clinic."

Janiyah Alford thrust her left hand forward, practically shoving it in Kassie's face. A massive, gaudy diamond engagement ring caught the light. "We're getting married," Janiyah Alford gloated. "Honestly, Kassie, I should thank you. If you hadn't been such a boring, broke loser, Liam never would have realized what a real woman looks like."

"She makes less than a hundred grand a year, babe," Liam sneered, looking at Kassie like she was trash. "Her salary couldn't even buy your purse. She's drowning in student loans. She's going to rot in that ghetto apartment for the rest of her life."

The anger finally snapped Kassie's restraint. Her vision went red. She shoved her hands against the table and stood up violently. "Shut your mouth-"

Her knee slammed into the heavy leg of the table. She lost her balance, her ankle twisting sharply. She stumbled backward, bracing herself for the humiliating impact of hitting the floor.

She never hit the ground.

A massive, warm hand clamped firmly around her waist.

Jarrod, who had been sitting in the shadows of the high-backed booth, completely silent, stood up.

His six-foot-three frame unfolded, instantly casting a massive, terrifying shadow over Liam. The sheer physical dominance of the man sucked the oxygen right out of the room.

Liam felt the shift in the atmosphere. The natural hierarchy of power hit him like a physical blow. He instinctively took a step back, his arrogant smirk faltering.

Janiyah Alford stared at Jarrod, her mouth falling open. She took in his god-like bone structure, the custom suit, and the aura of absolute, untouchable wealth. She was completely mesmerized.

Liam swallowed hard, trying to puff his chest back out. "Who the hell are you? Mind your own business."

Jarrod didn't even look at Liam. He kept his arm securely around Kassie's waist, pulling her flush against his solid chest. With his free hand, he reached up and gently, almost intimately, adjusted the collar of Kassie's cheap sweater.

Then, Jarrod slowly turned his head. His dark eyes locked onto Liam. He looked at the junior analyst the way a man looks at a cockroach before stepping on it.

"Watch your tone," Jarrod said. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried a lethal, freezing edge that made the hairs on Kassie's arms stand up.

Liam's face flushed with angry embarrassment. "I work for one of the biggest investment banks on Wall Street! You don't tell me what to do!"

Jarrod let out a low, dark chuckle. He pulled Kassie tighter against his side and dropped a bomb that shattered the room.