Hailey's POV
"You're bankrupt, Hailey."
The word echoed long after my grandfather stopped speaking, as if the walls themselves wanted to savor it.
For a heartbeat, I let it land.
I let my body register the familiar spike—the sharp, instinctive flinch of a girl trained to fear scarcity, disgrace, dependency. I felt it try to take root in my chest, the old reflex of shrinking, of calculating exits, of wondering how badly I'd misjudged the board.
Then it passed.
Because I wasn't that girl anymore and definitely I won't be her anymore.
I exhaled slowly and stepped back from the desk. The fire cracked behind them, too loud, too alive for what this room deserved.
I didn't look at my father again, I didn't need to. He had already chosen his posture for the rest of his li
