Xander's POV
I watched the pen hover over the last line, a strange mix of relief and dread coiling in my gut. Investor X’s lawyer, a woman with eyes that missed nothing, smiled thinly across the polished mahogany table. She gestured to the signature block.
“All standard, Mr. Vance,” she stated, her voice as smooth as silk. “Just a formality now.”
Around the table, my board members shifted uncomfortably. I felt Marcus’s gaze on me, heavy with disapproval. He’d vocalized his concerns just minutes before, practically shouting them.
“Xander, this agreement grants unprecedented access,” Marcus had boomed, his face red. “Their financial team embedded in ours? It’s practically a hostile takeover, disguised as a rescue. We’re handing them the keys to the kingdom.”
I had run a hand through my
