“It’s a copy of the allegations I am sending to the Ohio Department of Commerce tomorrow morning,” she said.

She looked directly at Wyatt, her eyes cold and calculating.

“Unless, of course, we can come to an amicable agreement tonight.”

“You are committing extortion,” Marcus said.

“I am protecting my family’s interests,” Melanie replied smoothly.

“And I am protecting myself.”

She reached into her purse and pulled out a sleek silver pen.

“I have the transfer papers ready in my car, Wyatt.”

“Sign over the fifty percent, and this folder disappears.”

I stood up from my chair, my body trembling with anger.

“You won’t get a single dime from him,” I said.

Melanie laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound that echoed in the small office.

“Look at you, Sadie,” she said. “You can barely stand.”

“Do you really think you can beat us?”

“We have the original will, Melanie,” I said, pointing to the papers on Marcus’s desk.

Melanie’s eyes flicked to the parchment documents.

For a brief second, her smile faltered.

She quickly recovered her composure, her eyes narrowing.

“A piece of old paper won’t save Wyatt’s business,” she said.