“A woman who signed a contract and was paid to disappear from their lives.”

“She didn’t disappear,” I said. “She came back to be near them, even if she couldn’t tell them who she was.”

Croft waved his hand dismissively, as if my words were nothing more than sentimentality.

“That was her choice,” he said. “A foolish one, perhaps, but hers nonetheless.”

“Now, however, the situation is different.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, stepping closer to the desk.

“Dr. Shah has been asking questions,” Croft said, his eyes narrowing.

“And I understand you have been spending a great deal of time at her bedside.”

He leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the mahogany wood.

“The board of directors is already uneasy, Daniel.”

“They have noticed your lack of attention to the firm since your father’s passing.”

“My sons are my priority,” I said.

“Your sons are the heirs to a multibillion-dollar empire,” Croft countered.

“But only if that empire remains intact.”

He slid the blue folder across the desk toward me.

“Take these papers,” he said. “Lock them back in the safe.”