Chapter 24

Tate's face went completely pale. His hand trembled as he pointed toward Fiona, who had been sitting in the corner the whole time. Her presence there was barely noticeable. With Raphael there, Tate was desperate to distance himself from the eye of the storm and pin the blame on someone else. "No, Mr. Lindberg! This is all a misunderstanding! I swear I didn't know she was your woman! "I wouldn't have dared to touch even a hair on her head if I'd known. It's all her fault!" He gestured wildly toward Fiona. "She's the one who said this girl was someone you didn't want and was getting in your way! I thought I was doing you a favor! I did this for you!" Raphael looked toward the corner where Fiona was crouched. Only then did he notice her there. He remarked frostily, "I didn't know you were capable of such machinations." Fiona shuddered violently. Without warning, she collapsed to her knees with a thud as her body shook uncontrollably. She shook her head desperately and denied Tate'