was disturbed.
Except Vanessa.
He calmly reached for his phone.
Vanessa mistook his silence for surrender.
“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”
Daniel opened an encrypted company dashboard and typed a short message to corporate counsel.
Come to Bellmont House. Bring tonight’s audit file.
Then he locked his phone.
Vanessa didn’t notice.
She had already decided the poor single father had lost.
She was about to learn he owned the battlefield.
Dessert arrived five minutes later.
A young waitress named Maria set Sophie’s chocolate cake on the table with
