Addison had been introduced to Maxwell Firth when she was twenty-four years old, or rather he had introduced himself when he strode into her office at Kane Holdings without even knocking. Explaining that Oliver had hired him to be the company lawyer, he went on to boast that from that day forward any business dealings or contracts she was involved in would require his seal of approval.

At first glance, most would have found Firth appealing. Tall and slender with jet black hair, his accent was posh and his posture perfect, but looks can be deceiving, and when it came to Maxwell Firth, they downright lied. Underneath the handsome exterior lie a cunning adversary, one who followed no rules except his own, and although his skill as an attorney could not be questioned, his morals as a human being were virtually non-existent.

After making her life a living hell for a few years, and with his friends now sitting on the board, Firth left Kane Holdings to start his own company, so it had been almost eight years since she had last seen him. His picture had been in newspapers and magazines, but she hadn’t paid attention until his interest in the law became secondary to becoming an industrialist.

Over the past several years, he had bought up as much low-income housing as he could and then finding false fault in the construction, he had the occupants evicted, the buildings razed, and new ones constructed where the rents were more in line with his greed. Family-owned businesses were his next victims, and buying the leases on neighborhood markets and shops, he raised the rent when agreements came up for renewal. Slowly, stores emptied and doors were boarded, and when new businesses opened, they paid him the rent he demanded. It wasn’t long before he began dabbling in company takeovers, snatching up little hotels and small technology firms as they came along. After turning some fairly sizable profits, he set his sight on the big leagues, or rather Addison’s league, and that’s when she began keeping track of his dealings.

As Maxwell approached, Addison could see the changes caused by time. His once black hair was now grayed at the temples and slightly thinner than she remembered, and the cut of his single-breasted tuxedo did nothing to hide the paunch of a middle-aged man. However, his deep-set eyes were still as inky, and his smirk was still as arrogant.

Preparing herself for what was to come, Addison snagged a fresh drink from a waiter walking by, and taking a sip, she waited for Firth to speak.

“That was quite an entrance you made,” Firth said as he ambled up to Addison. “Very impressive.”

“Well, you know we can’t all own SUVs.”

“I was actually surprised to hear you’d be here tonight,” he said, scanning the room. “A last-ditch effort?”