"You… what did you say?" Gemma Montague looked up, staring straight at Clayton Winters, a flicker of fear deep in her eyes.
Clayton Winters saw her startled expression. His lips curved into a faint, self-mocking smile. "Heh, isn't this what you've always dreamed of? Well, now I'm making it happen."
"I…" Gemma Montague was suddenly at a loss for words. 'Yes, isn't this what I've always wanted? Then why is there this inexplicable, sour feeling in my heart?' "Clayton Winters, are you just afraid I'll drag you down? That I'll drag down the Winters family?"
"Drag you down?" Clayton Winters retorted, his expression sinking. "Gemma Montague, you think I'm afraid of you dragging me down? Heh. Search your conscience and think hard. Over a decade ago, I begged Paul Ashworth on your behalf, and I paid a heavy price for it. For you, I married you against my own father's objections. In all these years, how many of your messes have I cleaned up!"
