LUCAS’S POV
The penthouse was no longer my home, it was a gallows.
I stood by the glass, my hands clasped behind my back to hide the tremor in my fingers. I could see the reflection of the lawyers as they took their places at my dining table. I could see Ava sitting on the sofa, her hands folded in her lap, looking smaller than I’d ever seen her.
"Adrian," I muttered under my breath, the name tasting like copper.
I knew Adrian wasn't the whistleblower. He was too loyal to the old man, and too focused on the work. But the fact that his name was being used as the benchmark for how a man should actually treat Ava was a blade in my gut. He was the "genuine" one. I was the one with the contract and the cold shoulder.
Jenkins approached me. "Mr. Carter, we will begin with you. In your own w
