I had never been comfortable around Emtt Carlisle.
He was Yvaine’s older brother, tall, sharp-featured, and always dressed in dark suits that seed to sharpen his edges even more. If Yvaine was sunlight, Emtt was steel. He carried himself like a man who asured every word before letting it out, and most of the ti, he decided silence was better.
When I called him to ask for a eting, he agreed, but I could hear the unspoken question in his voice. Why ? Why now?
We t in his office, a glass-walled space high above the city, with views that stretched to the harbour. The shelves were lined with files, ledgers, and a few awards. Nothing personal, not even a photo fra. It was the office of soone who believed sentint had no place in business.
‘Mirabelle,’ he said when I walked in, his tone clipped. He stood, shook my hand briefly, and gestured for to sit.
‘Thank you for seeing ,’ I said, settling into the leather chair opposite his desk.
He watched for a long mont, his expression unreadable. ‘Yvaine said you’ve been... busy.’
‘She worries too much,’ I said.
‘No,’ Emtt replied. ‘She doesn’t worry enough.’
That silenced . He leaned back, steepling his fingers. ‘Why are you involving yourself in this? These fights between corporations, this tug of war at city hall—it’s not your world.’
‘I know,’ I admitted.
‘Then why?’
I hesitated, then forced myself to et his eyes. ‘Because Ashton’s in trouble. And if I can’t help him, then what am I to him? Love isn’t just standing around hoping things work out. It’s protecting the people you love, and the things they’ve built. Ashton spent years building LGH. If I can do sothing, anything, to keep it safe, then I have to.’
For a mont, there was silence. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of Emtt’s mouth lifted, almost a smile. ‘Love as strategy. I never thought I would hear that from you.’
‘It isn’t strategy,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s survival. If he loses LGH, he’ll lose a part of himself. I won’t let that happen.’
Emtt regarded with sothing like amusent, though his eyes stayed cool. ‘You have more fire than I gave you credit for.’
‘Does that an you’ll help ?’
He tapped his fingers against the desk. ‘The proposed moratorium is a disaster waiting to happen. Not just for Ashton. For every developer in this city. Of course I oppose it. And if Gerard Haldane is the one pushing it, then there may be a reason.’
‘That’s what I need to know,’ I said.
‘Careful, Mira,’ he said, his voice dropping lower. ‘Digging into n like Haldane has consequences. You think you are stepping into Ashton’s world, but Ashton knows the rules. You don’t. One wrong move, and it won’t be him who pays the price. It will be you.’
‘I’ll take that risk,’ I said.
Again, that flicker of amusent. ‘Very well. I will put so people on it. But it will take ti.’
‘How long?’
‘A week. Maybe more. Be patient.’
Patience had never been my strength, but I nodded anyway.
***
True to his word, a week later, Emtt summoned back. He was waiting in the sa chair, but this ti a slim folder sat open on his desk. He pushed it towards as I sat.
‘This is what we found,’ he said.
I flipped through the papers, my pulse quickening. Bank transfers that didn’t match his declared assets. Land purchases hidden under shell companies. A mistress tucked away in a serviced apartnt. Even a gambling trip to Macau where the losses were staggering, but mysteriously covered by unnad benefactors.
I stared at the pages. ‘This is...’
‘Enough to destroy him,’ Emtt said.
I swallowed. ‘This is what Lea used, isn’t it? This is how she forced him into pushing the moratorium.’
Emtt nodded. ‘That’s my guess as well. Lea Lopez is not soone to underestimate. If you think you can outmanoeuvre her, think again. She plays with sharper knives than you have ever held.’
‘I don’t care,’ I said.
‘You should.’
‘I don’t have a choice. If I wait, Ashton loses everything. If I act, maybe we still have a chance.’
Emtt studied for a long ti, then finally gave a short nod. ‘Very well. But if you play this card too soon, she will know it was you. And she will retaliate.’
‘I’ll be ready,’ I said, though my stomach knotted as I spoke.
He closed the folder and slid it into a plain envelope. ‘Then this is yours.’
***
A week after that first eting, I stood outside a hotel conference room with the envelope clutched in my bag. The hotel was one of those sleek, modern places with marble floors and brass accents, full of people in expensive suits who looked like they had been born negotiating.
I paused by the door, checked my reflection in the glass wall opposite. My lipstick was steady, my hair pinned neatly. No trembling hands, no racing heart visible from the outside. Inside, though, it was a different story.
I thought of Ashton lying pale in his hospital bed, of his bandaged hand, of the fever that had nearly killed him. I thought of Lea’s mocking voice, telling I was no threat.
Then I straightened my shoulders, lifted my hand, and knocked.
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