I frowned, not understanding. “What do you mean?”

“The Whitmore Group is currently negotiating a major merger with an overseas investment firm,” Grace said. “I read about it in the financial papers this morning.”

She sat back down and tapped her fingers on the desk.

“Margaret Whitmore is the one spearheading that deal,” Grace continued. “The matriarch of the family trust does not tolerate public scandals.”

“Margaret,” I whispered, the name sending a shiver down my spine.

Adrian’s mother was a formidable woman, cold as ice and fiercely protective of the family’s social standing.

She had never approved of me, viewing my modest background as a stain on their lineage.

“If Adrian launches a smear campaign against you, it will drag the Whitmore name into the mud,” Grace explained. “The press will dig into the custody battle, the trust, and the legitimacy of the heir.”

“The investors would pull out,” I realized.

“Exactly,” Grace said. “Margaret would see her life’s work threatened by her son’s personal vendetta.”

“But she hates me,” I said. “She won’t help me.”