Ana's POV
I didn't hold back, laying bare exactly what Preston was thinking. The directness of my words clearly stunned him.
His expression crumpled, and for just a moment, genuine alarm flickered across his features. But he recovered quickly, gazing at me with that familiar, practiced warmth.
"Ana, I built the Collin Group from nothing. Please don't hold this against me," he pleaded.
I let out a bitter laugh. "Preston, I'm not blood. I get why you'd throw me under the bus, but that doesn't mean I'll let it slide."
His voice took on that earnest quality I knew so well. "My care for you has always been real."
"So what if it was? You only treated me well because I had nowhere else to go—someone you could manipulate whenever it served you." My words came out ice-cold.
Suddenly, violent coughing seized him. His face turned crimson as he gasped for air, looking like he might collapse.
