Through the narrow gap in the door, I saw them sitting close together at the dining table, papers spread neatly before them like a carefully staged trap.
Victoria leaned back and said, “After the transfer, we activate the debt trigger, and he loses controlling interest within months.”
Ryan hesitated before asking, “And if he resists?”
Victoria’s voice dropped slightly. “He has been exhausted lately. Stress does strange things to the body.”
A cold realization slid through me as memories aligned with horrifying clarity, including the dizziness, the nausea, and the metallic taste in my morning coffee that I had dismissed as fatigue.
Sophia leaned toward my ear and whispered, “I saw her add something to your cup two weeks ago, and I did not know how to tell you.”
For a moment I could not breathe, because betrayal is louder in silence than any shouted confession.
“I need you to leave now,” Sophia said firmly. “If they see you, they will destroy everything.”
I wanted to storm into the room and demand answers, yet survival required restraint rather than pride.