Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Chapter 2

A faint, golden light illuminated the contours of the man's face, sharpening his

striking features. He looked distant, his expression cool and detached aloof restraint that was both forbidding and irresistibly alluring.

He frowned slightly, about to turn and leave.

an air of

Suddenly, Effie's slender, pale fingers gripped the sleeve of his dress shirt, clinging to him as if he were her last lifeline.

Her heart raced, and the man's unique scent seemed to swirl around her, clouding her senses. Flashes from the private lounge replayed in her mind, and she found herself thinking-if Mitchell could do it, why couldn't she?

"Let go," the man said, his entire being radiating an icy, implacable chill.

"No," Effie replied, her voice as soft and teasing as a kitten's purr, the kind that tugged at your heart and made you want to draw closer.

He glanced down at her, the corners of his mouth curving faintly.

"No? Do you even know what happens next if you don't?" His tone was laced with danger and a dark, magnetic charm.

"Would you be interested in marrying me?" Effie's eyes were rimmed with red, but she gathered all her courage to get the words out.

She knew it sounded insane.

This wasn't a drunken impulse; she was entirely

down. She was

she didn't want to give herself a chance to

better than Mitchell, that cheating

the man wasn't

had to try,

his crisp, clean scent wasn't unpleasant to her at all. If anything, it made

the first time that night, her mind

fingertips, forcing her to meet his eyes. She took in his refined, almost otherworldly features-eyes clear and deep, face a blend of innocence and seduction, the kind of beauty that could drive a person to

It was him.

His voice was low and

head jerked up

Lyman Etheridge.

could it possibly

Who was Lyman, anyway?

Neo-Arcadia-enigmatic, influential, and rumored to have conquered Wall Street at fifteen.

Lyman was the sort of man socialites lined up to marry. Brilliant, ruthless,

the last man anyone in their right mind would

stared at his cold, sharp profile, her lashes trembling minutely. Every instinct screamed at her to

met