The rain was tapping hard against the glass of the executive floor when I arrived the next morning.

I wore my best tailored charcoal suit and my grandmother’s pearl earrings.

I looked exactly like the quiet, dutiful Harlan wife they expected me to be.

When I walked into the anteroom, Jared was already there, adjusting his silver silk tie in the mirror.

He turned, and his face hardened when he saw me.

“What are you doing here, Shelby?” he whispered, his voice sharp and low.

“I am still a trustee of the family foundation, Jared,” I said.

“You have no business in this meeting today,” he said, stepping closer to block my path.

“We are discussing the third-quarter earnings, not your charity projects.”

“Uncle Arthur asked me to attend,” I lied, keeping my voice flat.

Jared scoffed, but he couldn’t cause a scene in front of the secretaries sitting at the front desks.

The double doors of the boardroom opened, and Uncle Arthur walked out, his expression stern.

“Jared, Shelby, come in,” Arthur said, nodding once toward the room.

“We have a tight schedule today, and we need to begin.”