Mara POV
He hangs up. The home office falls silent except for the ticking of the antique clock on the mantle.
"I asked you a question," Lucien says quietly.
"I know what you asked."
"Then answer it."
I look at him—really look at him. He's exhausted. His hair is still messy from sleep. There's tension in every line of his body. He looks like a man about to lose everything.
"If we admit the contract was real," I say instead of answering, "if we tell them we started as a transaction—what happens to your inheritance?"
"I lose it." He moves closer. "You already know about this. Gregory invokes the clause. The board sides with him. My cousin takes over. Everything I've built goes to someone else."
"Then we can't do it."
"That's not what I asked, Mara. I need to know what I'm fighting fo
