“Claire,” Adrian said as he reached us, ignoring Julian and Margaret entirely.

“Adrian,” I said, keeping my hands clasped in front of me.

“Can we speak privately?” he asked, his hands twitching at his sides. “Just five minutes.”

“Anything you have to say can be said right here,” I replied.

He looked at Margaret, then at Julian, his jaw tightening.

“It’s about the lawsuit,” Adrian said, lowering his voice. “And the future of the waterfront.”

“There is no lawsuit, Adrian,” I said. “Your claims are baseless, and my legal team is already preparing to throw them out.”

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded document.

“This is a patent waiver,” Adrian said, his voice trembling slightly as he held it out. “Sign this, and the Cook County motion disappears.”

“And the twelve million dollars?” I asked, keeping my voice clear and steady.

“Five million tonight,” he whispered, leaning closer. “The paperwork is ready. We can wire it to your account in five minutes.”

I looked down at the document in his hand.

The paper was thick, expensive parchment, stamped with the Bennett Urban Systems logo.