Title: The Offer Burned
"You will receive the board seat and the colonial network if you agree to nullify your contract marriage with Laura," Madam Christ offered.
The silence that followed her statement was heavy and suffocating, wrapping around the grand architecture of the dining hall like a shroud. The antique crystal chandeliers overhead flickered slightly, their light reflecting off the polished marble surfaces.
Gerald did not immediately respond, his towering figure remaining completely rigid against the backdrop of the high arched windows. His luminescent golden eyes pulsed with a low, calculating rhythm as they analyzed the matriarch's facial muscles.
"Your terms are based on a fundamental miscalculation of my primary strategic objective," Gerald answered, his voice dropp
