er of dust. The air was stale, thick with the ghosts of a childhood she'd fought to forget. I

ieve did

e that set Ivy's teeth on edge. She stood in the doorway, her

lack tactical knife. In two silent steps, she closed the distance between t

fully constructed composure shatt

hisper, yet it filled the room. "The day sh

ly. "I... I don't know wh

sed infinitesimally. A tiny bead

I told her if she didn't marry Jeffrey, that charitable foundation her mother left behind... Harriso

di

w. The possibility, however slim, that

r air, a hand pressed to her throat. Ivy walked past her without a secon

ring a stiff drink. He looked up as

to your sense

m," Ivy said,

rrison's face, quickly replaced

the ten percent of Barr Group shares that were in Alice's name. And I want three percent

on his drink. "T

calm. "It's the price for saving y

le adversary. The fight in his eyes slowly died, replaced by the co

. "I'll have the l

ave your lawyer come here

t with resentment. As Ivy scrawled her name on the final page, a memory flashed through her mind, sharp and unwanted: she was six yea

ment, the paper a tangible victory. It wasn't just about the money. It was abo

ice curt. After a moment, he hung up. "That was the Da

said, turn

sent to your room," Sylvia offer

r back to them. "Don't bot

oom door, the solid click of the lock shutting out the world. The contract was a key. The