Chapter 5

The air in Adrian’s office was scrubbed of all humidity, a sterile, pressurized vacuum that made the city outside look like a fever dream. Mara stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass, watching the traffic crawl toward the financial district. Her reflection in the pane was a stranger: sharp-shouldered, composed, and currently the subject of a federal warrant for corporate espionage.

Adrian didn’t look up from his tablet. "The SEC audit is three weeks out, Mara. The injunction is a stalling tactic, but it’s a loud one. The board is already leaking rumors that you’re the source of the firm’s instability."

"Let them leak," Mara said. She turned, resting her palms on the cool mahogany of his desk. "If they want to frame me for the firm’s collapse, they have to acknowledge the firm is collapsing. That’s a trap they can’t afford to spring."

Adrian finally looked up. His eyes were heavy, the cost of his lost controlling interest in Sloane Logistics etched into the tension around his jaw. He didn't offer pity; he slid a file across the desk. "Evan filed the criminal counter-suit this morning. He’s claiming you stole proprietary algorithms during the divorce settlement. It’s a fabrication, but it’s enough to freeze your remaining personal assets."

Mara opened the folder. The legal language was a serrated blade, designed to drain her resources and keep her in court until she was too exhausted to fight for Lily’s trust. "He’s not just trying to win," she said, scanning the motion. "He’s trying to bankrupt my defense."

"He’s trying to make you desperate," Adrian corrected. He stood, moving with the quiet, predatory grace of a man who had lost his empire but kept his leverage. He walked to the window, standing close enough that she could feel the heat r

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