Her Cruelest Wish Granted

In all my twenty-six years, I'd never met anyone so brazenly arrogant.

"Say that again? What was it you wanted me to say?"

"Are you deaf? 'I'm an ignorant bitch.' Don't you understand English?"

A chilling smile spread across my face. "Oh, I understand perfectly. And since you're so aware that you're an ignorant bitch, you can get the hell out of my sight."

Hailey instantly realized she'd been played. She shrieked and lunged at me.

Pathetic. I was a Krav Maga expert. Did she really think her clumsy lunges would scare me?

I snapped out a sharp sidekick, sending Hailey sprawling to the ground with a pathetic yelp.

The people around us stared at me in horror. "Oh my God! How dare she hit Miss Hailey!"

"If Mr. Croft finds out, he'll tear her apart."

"Not even God can save her now."

Their chatter was meaningless to me. The Croft family only had its current power because of my mother's backing. In New York, there wasn't a single person who could truly frighten me.

I slapped my black card on the counter again and ordered the clerk, "Ring me up."

With trembling hands, the clerk took my card and hastily boxed the dress.

I picked up the box and turned to leave.

But Hailey scrambled up from the floor and blocked my path. "Don't you dare leave!"

I brandished my fist in her face. "What? You want another round?"

Hailey flinched. I sneered and headed for the exit.

Just then, a black Lamborghini purred to a stop at the boutique's entrance. A foot shod in a custom leather shoe emerged from the car.

God, the sight of his perfectly sculpted ankle alone made my heart skip a beat.

My gaze traveled up, and my breath hitched.

He was easily six-foot-three, with broad shoulders and long legs. And that face—it was a masterpiece, with sharp, chiseled features that were flawless from every conceivable angle.

Hailey immediately scrambled over to him, sobbing out her version of events.