“It will show everyone that we are united.”

“I don’t know, Jared,” I said, keeping my voice soft and hesitant.

“My father always told me to hold onto those shares.”

Jared’s grip on my hands tightened, just a fraction.

“Your father isn’t here to see what this stress is doing to you, Shelby.”

“He didn’t see you in the hospital last week.”

The mention of the hospital was a threat, wrapped in a blanket of sympathy.

“I am only trying to give you peace of mind,” he said.

“If you transfer the shares to the trust, you won’t have to think about business ever again.”

“You can just focus on getting well.”

He smiled, a warm, reassuring expression that I now knew was a mask.

“I have already had the legal team draft the papers,” he said.

He stood up and walked back to the console table in the hallway.

He picked up his leather briefcase and brought it back to the living room.

He popped the brass latches open.

The sound echoed in the quiet room like a gunshot.