We sat in the garden darkness for a long moment, Alexander's hand still against my face and his eyes searching mine for some sign of how I was processing his confession.
"You're waiting for me to run away," I said finally.
"I'm hoping you'll run away. For your own safety."
"And if I don't want safety? If I want you instead?"
"Then you're making a choice that could destroy everything you've built. Your pharmaceutical empire, your family's reputation, your own future—all of it becomes vulnerable when you're connected to someone like me."
"Someone like you," I repeated. "You mean someone whose family operates like the mob with better PR?"
Alexander's smile was rueful. "That's actually a pretty accurate description of elite family politics."
"Then maybe I need to learn how to operate in
