CHAPTER 19
The knock came once. Firm. Deliberate. Not the kind you ignored.
Nancy looked up from where she stood, a stack of fresh linens in her arms. “Are you expecting someone?”
Andrew didn’t answer, but something in his expression shifted. The tension in the room thickened like a gathering storm.
“…No,” he finally replied, his voice tight.
The door swung open anyway, revealing James, his posture straight but his tone noticeably careful. “Mr. Cross… Mr. Reeves is here.”
A pause.
“...He has legal counsel with him.”
Nancy frowned. “Legal…?”
Andrew’s jaw tightened slightly, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features.
“...Let him in,” he said, dismissing the discomfort building in his gut.
Daniel Reeves stepped in, his entrance imbued with a confidence that felt unsettling. He
