Chapter 10

• The sleek black sedan glided through an imposing set of ornate iron gates and continued winding along a magnificently landscaped driveway. Valerie couldn't help but gape out the tinted windows at the immaculate grounds and fountains surrounding the colossal estate looming ahead.
• "We've arrived, Mrs. Donovan," the messenger intoned as they came to a stop before the double front doors. "If you'll follow me, please."
• Valerie could only nod numbly, her mouth suddenly dry with trepidation. This was really happening. Just hours after hastily wedding a man she knew nothing about, she was being delivered to his home - if you could even call this imposing edifice that.