“They are frozen under the company’s moral turpitude clause,” Elias said, his voice dangerously calm. “They don’t go to you. They don’t go to the market.”

He paused, letting the words sink in.

“They go into a trust managed by the Vice Chairman,” Elias whispered.

My heart stopped.

The Vice Chairman of King Enterprises was Daniel Carter.

“Daniel drafted those bylaws himself three years ago,” Elias said. “He has been waiting for a reason to trigger them.”

I stared at Elias, trying to find a lie in his eyes.

But there was only a cold, mocking certainty.

“If you use this leverage, Ava, you ruin me,” Elias said. “But you also ensure you get absolutely nothing. Daniel will control the entire empire, and you will be left with the ashes.”

My hand instinctively moved toward my bag.

“He told me he was helping me,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

“He was using you,” Elias said. “He needed someone unconnected to the board to drop the match. If he did it, it would look like a hostile takeover. If you do it, it’s just a bitter divorce.”