An understatement. Duncan had taken everything from Clay’s family. And soon, Clay would take something that mattered to Duncan. “No, I don’t.”

“I cannot decide if you are trying to scare me off or if you are telling the truth.”

“If the truth scares you then you have no business opening a casino. The world is full of hard decisions and uncomfortable choices. You cannot be softhearted. What will you do when a friend with an outstanding debt comes crying to you that she cannot pay? Pat her on the head and tell her not to worry, that you trust she’ll give you the money eventually?”

“I am not completely sheltered, Mr. Madden. I know running a business won’t be easy.”

“Gambling is more than a business, Miss Greene. It is a way of life. A burning obsession for some. If you want safe, then procure a position at a department store.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Let me understand this. Agreeing to help me has nothing to do with the money I’m paying you, but rather revenge against my father.”

“Wrong. Everything I do is about money. The revenge is a nice side bonus.”

“As selfish as they come,” she muttered, repeating his words from earlier.

“That’s right—and you’d be wise not to forget it.”

Wait, Madden was trying to ruin her father. What did that mean? Bankrupt him? She didn’t think that was possible. Her father was careful with money and they were more than comfortable. Not to mention her father’s intelligence. No one pulled anything over on Duncan Greene. Except for her, of course. “Exactly how are you trying to ruin my family?”

Madden cocked his head and seemed to contemplate the question. Florence stared at him through her lashes. The casino owner was unexpected in so many ways. Yes, he was intimidating, but he didn’t treat her like a silly girl with the intellect of a housefly, as most of the men her age did. Instead, he listened and bantered back and forth with her. It was refreshing.

In truth, she’d been ready to pay more for his help. The Bronze House was the exact model for the casino she wished to open for ladies. Nowhere else came close, not in New York City. Furthermore, Madden was a reported genius, a shrewd businessman and excellent with numbers. Choosing someone else felt like settling.

And she needed to learn fast. She had less than two years to open her casino and build an independent future. Her father had recently begun pressuring Florence’s twenty-three-year-old sister, Mamie, to marry. At twenty-one, Florence was next in line for marriage. Duncan Greene’s patience for unmarried daughters would only last for so long, and Florence had no intention of handing over her life to some strange man. She intended to support herself instead.