Winn sighed heavily. "You know the funniest thing, Joey?" he said finally. "All my troubles would disappear if Ivy came back right now."

Joey blinked, momentarily thrown. "You’re still going to marry her if she comes back?" he asked, a note of disbelief in his tone. "After everything that’s happened? After she—"

"If she will have me," Winn interrupted, cutting him off before he could say the word that hurt most—left.

Joey arched a brow and leaned back. "Even though she abandoned you?" he pushed, not to be cruel, but because someone needed to say it.

"She loves me." Winn lifted his gaze, eyes fierce with conviction that bordered on desperation. "That’s all I need to know. She loves me like no one else ever has, Joey. You can’t fake that. So I don’t care that she ran to take a breather. I don’t care that she needed space."

Joey tilted his head, studying him quietly. "That’s addiction, Winn."

"Then I guess I’m an addict. Because I can’t unlove her. I’ve tried." He trailed off.

"You really think she’ll come back?"

"I feel it. And when she’s ready, she’ll find me."

"Well, Ivy isn’t here. You’re still married to Sharona. And Evans needs a decision," Joey reminded him.

Winn pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling hard. "I’m not dealing with that asshole directly," he said. "You will be the middleman. I don’t want any contact with the man whatsoever unless absolutely necessary." He looked up, his eyes cold and sharp.

"And if he sweeps the rug from under our feet, Joey—if Evans pulls one more stunt—I will be holding you responsible."

Joey scoffed. "Fine," he said, shrugging as if the idea of being crushed under the wrath of a Kane didn’t terrify him just a little.

"Dammit! I need my phone!" Winn snapped suddenly. "Could you call Sylvia and ask her to bring it to me?"

Joey folded his arms. "I think you’re better off without it," he said evenly. "You need to unwind. Take the load off. Cleanse your mind—because, Mr. Kane," he added, smirking slightly, "we’ve got a lot of work to do."

Winn glared at him, jaw tight. "You sound like a cheap therapist."

*****

A week later, Sharona stepped onto the executive floor of House of Kane. She was stunning, as always.

When she burst into Winn’s office without knocking, he was standing by the window, a storm in human form.

"My God!" she exclaimed. "I never really understood what it meant to be used and dumped until you, Winn." She slammed her clutch onto his desk. "So you marry me, and then vanish? You don’t call, don’t visit, don’t even pretend to care?"

"We had a deal, Sharona."

"Yes, and you are yet to uphold your end of the deal," Sharona said. She stood across Winn’s desk, hands on her hips.

"It’s not a month yet," Winn replied.

Sharona scoffed, crossing her arms. "So, tell me, how much am I getting?" she demanded.

"Around fifty million, give or take."

"The Orchard fortune is worth much more than that," she said, moving closer. "Your grandfather didn’t leave you much then, did he?"

"I can only get twenty percent of everything for now," Winn said. "In the future, I’ll get you your twenty percent, I promise."

"You don’t have to promise." Sharona leaned in. "We have a legally binding contract, don’t we? You promised me a payout the day the inheritance comes through. But my question is, why can’t you get it all now?"

"There are clauses — conditions — to make sure I didn’t just get married for the money. There are two ways around it." He paused, eyes darkening. "Sylvia has to prove to the court beyond reasonable doubt that I married for love. Or..." He hesitated.

"The birth of a child."

Sharona smiled as if she’d been waiting for him to say that all along. Her hand brushed against his tie, straightening it in deliberate, sensual strokes. "Then it’s simple," she whispered, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "Let’s have a child."

Winn sighed heavily. "Sharona, fifty million is quite enough for now. I am not that desperate that I will bring a child into this world just because I want to get my grandfather’s money." His eyes, pinned her where she stood.

"I am not sleeping with you. I will never sleep with you. Now, if you’re done, you can leave."

"Fine," she murmured after a beat, forcing calm into her tone. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that."

Her apology was half-hearted,, "Would you come over Friday evening so we can discuss the contract further? I’d like to know if I’ll be getting the funds in assets, cash, or whatever form you deem fit."

Winn exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Fine," he said, his patience stretched thin. "I’ll go over the details with the lawyers, and I’ll be there."

Sharona smiled again. "You’re such a sweetheart," she cooed. "I’ll see you later, darling," she added over her shoulder before disappearing through the doors.

The moment she left, Winn dropped his head into his hands.

Sharona descended the staircase that spiraled down to the lobby. As soon as she stepped outside, she fished her phone out of her purse and pressed a contact.

"Raphael," she said. "I need you to get me some pramipexole. ASAP."

"What do you need that for?" he asked, suspicion cutting through the easy charm in his tone.

Sharona rolled her eyes, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. "Do I need to explain everything to you? Just get it."

"I am not until you tell me what your plan is," Raphael said.

Sharona could tell Raphael didn’t trust her. "Well," she said softly, "I need Winn to fuck me. He just confirmed we need a child. A child I am going to get, and I don’t care how I go about it."

"You are devious," he said.

"Chop chop, Raphael. No time to lose." She ended the call with a satisfied little hum.