“They will drag her name through the mud.”

“They will put cameras in her face every time she tries to take the children to the park.”

“They will make her life a living hell.”

I felt the room tilt.

The image of Liam and Chloe being hounded by paparazzi flashed through my mind.

I saw them crying, shielding their faces from the flashing bulbs of reporters.

I saw the headlines calling me a neglectful mother.

“You wouldn’t,” Jonathan said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“Try me,” Harrison said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

“I built this empire, Jonathan. I will not let you destroy it with some amateur crusader nonsense.”

“You will destroy the files you have.”

“You will sign the board resolution approving the new development funding tomorrow morning.”

“And if you do not, the media will have the custody story by sunrise.”

Jonathan stood frozen, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

The folder lay on the table between them, a useless weapon.

“We are leaving,” Jonathan said, grabbing my arm.

His grip was tight, his knuckles white with tension.