I held the phone tight against my ear, staring at the rain streaking the windowpane.

Julian took a step closer to my desk, his eyes fixed on my face.

“What do we have to talk about, Adrian?” I asked.

“The Cook County filing,” he said, his breath rattling through the speaker. “It doesn’t have to go to court.”

“You sued me to stop my groundbreaking,” I said. “That seems like a court matter.”

“It’s a strategic move, Claire,” Adrian said, his voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper. “I need leverage. You know how the board is watching me.”

“I know Serena is stripping your assets,” I said.

The line went silent for three long seconds.

I could hear the dull roar of jet engines in the background of his call.

“She told you?” Adrian asked, his voice cracking.

“Sarah told me,” I said. “And the injunction she filed in London is very real.”

“Listen to me,” Adrian said, his tone turning desperate. “I’m landing at Midway in forty minutes. I have a proposal that solves all of this.”

“I am not interested in your proposals,” I said.