"Mr. Lancaster, please. I'm begging you."
I stare at Olivia Donovan through the security monitor at Rose Garden Villas' main gate. Even through the grainy black and white footage, I can see the desperation carved into every line of her face.
She's been standing there for twenty minutes in the rain.
"Sir?" Vincent's voice crackles through the intercom. "Should I send security to remove her?"
I study the screen. Olivia clutches her designer handbag like a shield. Her usually perfect hair hangs in wet strands around her shoulders. Mascara streaks down her cheeks.
This is Gabriel's mother. The woman who raised the man who tried to destroy my life.
"Let her in," I say finally.
"Are you certain, sir?"
"Send her to the main house. I'll meet her there."
Lucky perks up from his spot on the Italian leather sofa. He senses my tension immediately.
"Come on, boy. Let's see what Mrs. Donovan wants."
