Chapter 26

Charisse knew exactly how bad it'd get if this blew up and Clayton caught wind of it. The man wouldn't care whether or not anything actually happened between her and Owen—he'd just think his pride was stomped on and go straight for Owen's throat. That's how things worked. For people like him, truth didn't matter nearly as much as appearances. But Charisse backing down only made Elliot more annoyed. She'd always been proud, especially in front of him—never one to lower her head. But now? She was choosing to yield... for Owen. So, Carter meant that much to her? Elliot suddenly felt like a total joke. He showed up early in the morning just to check if she was okay. And what did he get for it? Walked in on her and another man under one roof for the night—and every damn word they exchanged after that just churned his stomach. He didn't even know what the hell he was doing anymore. He stood up with a jerk and stormed toward the door. Charisse grabbed his arm. "Are you going to tell Mr. Ellis