Eloise pulled on her third change of clothes and combed out her hair again. Anxiously, she checked her lipstick in the mirror. She wasn’t sure why she was letting herself get so carried away with her appearance, on today, of all days. The impression Masoud was going to take away from this meeting wasn’t going to have anything to do with the way she looked.

Maybe it was just that this was the one thing she could control. His reaction to the news—the blackmail—that was about to be laid on him was a mystery, and she had no way of stopping Patrick from going through with his plan. But maybe, if she presented herself well, Masoud would remember the good times they’d shared. Maybe he would see through the messy circumstances. She had to hope he would know she hadn’t wanted any part of this.

She sighed. That was a lot to ask someone to extrapolate from clothing.

Finally, accepting that all the suits she had put on and cast aside looked more or less the same anyway, she left her hotel room and took the elevator down to the lobby. Patrick, for once, had beaten her there. He was staring pointedly at his watch, and she suspected he’d adopted that pose as a way of making her feel bad.

“You’re late,” he said.

“Morning sickness,” Eloise muttered. In truth, she hadn’t experienced any morning sickness so far, but Patrick winced and looked uncomfortable at the suggestion, and she was glad she’d made him picture it.

They didn’t speak on the car ride over to the Khan Capital building. Eloise sat as close as she could to the door of the car and stared out at the passing landscape. Last time she’d seen this, she had been so happy. How could so much have gone wrong so quickly?

When they arrived, Patrick stepped out of the car and strode purposefully toward the main entrance without waiting, forcing her to hustle after him. She was carrying his briefcase in addition to her own, and a part of her wanted to toss it in the street and let it be hit by traffic.

She hated him actively, passionately. She hated that she’d devoted any part of her life to helping him build his empire. If there was one good thing about all this, she reflected, it was that after it was over, she would be able to cut ties with him for good. This would be the last thing she would have to do for him. She just had to get through it.

Masoud was waiting for them in the lobby. The sight of him made Eloise’s breath catch; he was even more handsome than she’d remembered. He smiled when he saw them, and for a split second, she could imagine he was smiling at the sight of her specifically.

She couldn’t help but return the smile, even knowing what was about to come. Just seeing him made all the feelings from their last encounter come rushing back. Images of him climbing out of her bed and kissing her goodbye flooded her memory.

If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, we could have had that again.

Masoud stepped forward and extended his hand to Patrick.

“Mr. Gainsborough. Welcome back. I trust you found your accommodations to your liking?”

“They’re fine,” Patrick said dismissively.

Eloise frowned. The hotel Masoud had arranged for them was even nicer than the place they’d stayed on their first visit, and this time, all expenses were paid. Patrick was obviously trying to keep the high ground by refusing to show any gratitude. Based on her experience with Masoud, Eloise felt fairly confident that it was the wrong move, but she wasn’t about to help him out. It wasn’t as if he would listen to her, anyway.

“Have you had a chance to review the contract?” Masoud asked.

Eloise noted that he didn’t bring up the morality clause, even though they all knew that was why they’d required a second meeting. He was giving Patrick the dignity of accepting it without admitting he’d been wrong.

“I sure did,” Patrick said smugly. “Why don’t we step into your conference room so we can go over it?”

Masoud turned and led the way. Eloise started to follow him, but Patrick caught her by the arm. “Remember,” he said under his breath, “you say one thing to him other than what we’ve planned, and you get nothing. Understand?”

Eloise pulled her arm back and nodded.

The three of them sat around the table in the conference room. Masoud met Eloise’s eyes and smiled at her, but she looked away. She couldn’t face him. Not with what was about to happen.

“So,” Patrick began, “I notice that in your code of conduct, you make reference to an ‘honorable approach to personal liaisons.’”

“Of course, we can’t govern what anyone chooses to do,” Masoud said. “The code of conduct really only stipulates that the signees’ personal affairs not become public. In the opinion of the board, the best way to prevent that is to live within certain parameters.”

“Like one-night stands, for instance?” Patrick leaned over the desk, going for the kill.

“For instance.” Masoud remained cool.

“Well then,” Patrick said, “imagine my surprise when I returned from a business trip to find that my assistant was pregnant.”

Masoud’s mouth opened, then closed. He turned to look at Eloise, who bit her lip and stared at her hands.

“Now, how do you suppose something like that might have happened?” Patrick speculated. “She’s not in a relationship. Who could she have possibly met and gotten involved with in the past two months?”

Masoud let out a deep sigh. “What do you want?”

Patrick balled up the contract and tossed it in the corner wastebasket.

“You and I are going to draw up a new contract,” he said. “One that prioritizes the interests of MAFA Financial. And you are going to sign it. Because if you don’t, we”—he indicated himself and Eloise—“are going to tell everyone who the father is. You’re a hypocrite and a fraud, and you’re in violation of your own company’s morality clause.” He put this in air quotes. “I don’t even know what kind of code of conduct you’re expected to follow as a member of the royal family, but I’m guessing it doesn’t involve knocking up foreign secretaries on one-night stands.”

Masoud sat quietly. Eloise peeked up at him, feeling awful.

Finally, he spoke. “You are an appalling human being, Patrick Gainsborough.”

“Be that as it may, I’m a fantastic businessman. It’s all about getting the deal, kid. Maybe someday, you’ll learn that.”

“I’d like you to leave, now.”

“Are you refusing my offer?”

“I’d like twenty-four hours to think about it,” Masoud said. “I trust you’ll do me that courtesy.”

Patrick hesitated, then acquiesced.

“Meet me back here tomorrow with your terms,” Masoud said, and pointed to the door.

Eloise tried to meet his eyes on the way out, to let him know that she was sorry and this wasn’t what she’d have wanted to do, but he pointedly refused to look at her. She hurried after Patrick, unable to stand being in front of him anymore. She was too ashamed.

She caught up to Patrick in the hall. He was laughing—actually laughing out loud. “That went well, didn’t it?” he said.

“What are you talking about?”

“We had him dead to rights! He didn’t even try to deny it, did you see that? I was all set to have you do a paternity test. I mean, if it was me, I would have demanded one. But he just rolled over!”

“Why would he waste everyone’s time with a paternity test?” Eloise asked. “He knows what the results of the test would be. It would just be delaying the inevitable.”

“You’re so naive,” Patrick laughed. “For all he knows, you could have slept with twenty other guys around the same time. For all he knows, you could have no idea who the father is, and you just decided to say it’s him because of his money and his station.”

Eloise stared at Patrick, sickened. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh, don’t act so noble. You just used your pregnancy to blackmail him into accepting a lopsided business deal.”

“You’re making me do that!”

“I can’t make you do anything, Eloise. I told you what your choices were and what the consequences would be. You chose.”

They stepped out the front door of Khan Capital. Eloise was practically in tears.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

“Well, try not to worry about it. You won’t have to see me much longer. We’ll discuss your severance as soon as we’re back in the States, okay?”

Eloise wanted to tell him she didn’t want his dirty money. She wanted to walk away from him right now and never look at him again. She wanted to run back into the building, find Masoud, and beg his forgiveness. But she needed Patrick and the money he could offer, so she forced herself to stand still.

And when the limo to take them back to the hotel pulled up, she climbed in after him, because she needed a ride, too.