“Thank you, Carlo. You can allow her up this time. Alert building security that she will have to be removed. I’d rather my team not be required to do it.” “Immediately, miss.” Standing in her open door, she watched the well-preserved blonde step off the elevator as if she owned the place. Marci’s bodyguards stood at her sides, silent and alert. Her apartment was the first thing Marci had purchased with her own money. The moment she turned eighteen, she wanted a home where her mother had never lived. Her father had given his blessing and released her trust fund while her mother raged impotently. An apartment belonging to his long-time business associate gave him peace of mind that wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else. He was the only parent who had ever been allowed inside. The reason why was immediately apparent as her mother approached. The first words to leave Victoria’s lips were, “You’re being childish.” With a shake of her head, Marci moved to close the door. In a rare show of emotion, Victoria slammed her hand against it. In her peripheral vision, she saw her bodyguards still in readiness. “You’re being a sore loser, Marci. It isn’t like you. Why haven’t you answered my calls?”
