Chapter 2

The heavy soundproof door opened with a soft, expensive friction sound against the thick carpet.

A narrow beam of light from the chandelier outside sliced into the dim, shadowy interior of the private room. It illuminated the edge of a velvet sofa.

Claire's pupils contracted violently.

On the sofa, Cooper and Kendall were locked in an intimate, compromising embrace. Cooper had her pinned against the backrest, his hand firm on her waist as he kissed her with a hunger that left no room for doubt.

The click of the door handle broke the silence.

Kendall gasped, breaking the kiss abruptly. She scrambled backward, putting distance between herself and Cooper.

Her hands flew up, hurriedly straightening the collar of her silk blouse and smoothing her skirt with trembling fingers.

Kendall looked up at Claire. In less than a second, tears pooled in her large eyes, making them shine like a frightened deer caught in headlights.

"Claire..." Kendall whimpered, her voice trembling with a perfectly executed sob. "I'm so sorry. I didn't... he just..."

A single tear spilled over her eyelashes and tracked down her flushed cheek. She grabbed her Birkin bag from the floor, keeping her head bowed in shame as she rushed toward the exit.

As Kendall squeezed past Claire in the doorway, the sobbing woman's expression shifted. Where Cooper couldn't see, Kendall's lips curled into a rapid, razor-sharp smirk.

Then she was gone, leaving the door wide open behind her.

Claire stood frozen on the threshold. Her hands balled into fists, her fingernails digging so deeply into her palms that the skin threatened to break. She gripped the wet fabric of her coat, anchoring herself to the floor.

Cooper took his time. He slowly stood up from the sofa, his broad shoulders blocking the dim light. He reached up, his long fingers calmly adjusting the collar of his wrinkled dress shirt.

When he finally turned to look at Claire, his dark eyes were devoid of a single ounce of guilt.

He stepped toward her. His long legs closed the distance between them with predatory grace.

The heavy thud of his leather shoes on the carpet sounded like a pendulum counting down to an execution.

He stopped exactly one inch away from her. The heat radiating from his body and the smell of Kendall's expensive perfume on his skin suffocated Claire. The physical intimidation was absolute.

Suddenly, Cooper's hand shot out. His fingers gripped Claire's chin firmly, forcing her head up to meet his gaze.

Pain flared in her jaw, but she didn't flinch.

He stared down at her pale, rain-streaked face. Pure, unadulterated disgust rolled off him in waves.

"You are pathetic," Cooper growled, his voice a low, vibrating hum of malice in his chest. "Following me like a desperate, obsessed stalker."

Claire's jaw throbbed under his grip, but she refused to meet his eyes. Instead, her gaze dropped stubbornly to his chest.

She watched the fabric of his shirt. She watched the steady, powerful rise and fall of his chest cavity. She listened to the rhythm of his breathing.

He was alive. The heart was beating perfectly. There was no trauma.

A tiny, almost imperceptible sigh of relief slipped past Claire's lips. The tension in her shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch.

That single, tiny expression of relief triggered an explosion in Cooper.

He yanked his hand back as if her skin had burned him. He pulled a crisp white linen handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping his fingers with frantic, violent motions.

"Do not look at me like that," he spat, his chest heaving with rage. "This marriage is nothing but a transaction my grandfather forced down my throat. You are nothing but a gold digger who crawled her way into my house."

Claire swallowed the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She looked at his flushed face.

"You need to take your anti-rejection meds," she said, her voice completely flat, devoid of any emotion. "It's past nine o'clock."

The words hit Cooper's eardrums and turned his face a dangerous shade of purple. The mention of his medical condition-the ultimate proof of his weakness-was his absolute trigger.

He balled up the handkerchief he had just used to wipe her touch away.

He threw it hard, straight into Claire's face. The linen hit her cheek and fell to the floor.

"My lawyer will be at the apartment tomorrow morning," Cooper said, his voice dropping to a deadly, quiet whisper. "Pack your trash and get out."

He shoved past her, his shoulder hitting hers hard enough to make her stumble.

Claire was left standing alone in the dark, silent room. Through the open door, the faint sounds of Cormac and the others laughing echoed down the hallway.