Chapter 4

Claire picked up the pen with a trembling hand. Its tip touched the paper with a faint scratch.

Vanessa smiled.

The shareholders let out a collective breath. A few were already exchanging looks, as though a signature would make the whole crisis disappear.

I sat on the couch, staring at the words at the top of the agreement.

Without compensation.

Of all the things in the world, I hated giving something away for nothing most.

I didn't even skip a single free sample at the grocery store. What if I missed out on something I was entitled to?

And here was Claire Whitmore, about to close her eyes and give away billions in shares.

“Don't sign!”

I jumped to my feet.

The two guards immediately came back and pinned me to the couch.

Claire startled. The pen fell onto the table.

Vanessa glared at me.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Natalie? One more word, and I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life on the street.”

She turned back to Claire.

“Ten minutes. That's all you've got before the offer expires. Then it won't just be your shares on the line. It'll be you.”

Julian spoke right after her, still perfectly mild.

“The lenders have set midnight as the deadline, Ms. Whitmore. Once it passes, they begin enforcement: repayment demands, restrictions on the accounts, steps to seize the collateral.

“By then, even if you're ready to sign, I may no longer be interested.”

The shareholders erupted.

“Sign it, Claire!”

“Are you determined to take all of us down with you?”

She stood at the table, holding the pen, her shoulders painfully tight.

Her phone rang again. The hospital.

“The private-care account is short? I'll find the money. Please don't move my dad out of his room tonight...”

She ended the call and swayed on her feet.

Vanessa gave a sweet little laugh.

“You heard them. Don't pay tonight, and Dad loses his private room. Are you really going to put him through that?”

Claire shut her eyes.

One tear finally fell. It landed on the agreement and blurred a small patch of ink.

Then she opened her eyes and picked up the pen again.

Her hand shook badly. She began writing her name on the signature line, one slow stroke at a time.

Claire Whit—

She was nearly done.

I sat on the couch with my eyes fixed on the pen, my heart racing.

If she finished, that was it.

Her shares would be gone. Her company would be gone. For all I knew, she'd still be stuck with the billions they kept threatening her with.

I couldn't let that happen.

I wrenched myself forward and broke the guards' hold.

“Hey—”

They hadn't been ready. I pulled free, rushed to the table, and snatched the agreement before anyone could react.

A few quick rips, and it was in pieces. I scattered them across the room.

For a moment, nobody made a sound.

Then the shareholders began pounding the table. Walter pointed at me with a shaking hand. The lawyer clutched his head, repeating, “We're finished. We're finished.”

Vanessa sprang up with a shriek.

“Natalie Brooks! Have you lost your mind?

“Security! Get this lunatic out of here!”

Before they could grab me, I pointed to the amount on the payment confirmation and scratched my head.

“But I only invested seventy-five hundred dollars.”

I honestly wanted an answer.

“Can seventy-five hundred dollars bankrupt this company?”