Page 20 of The Rival's Obsession
“You know the escrow clause. But there are also shares reserved for legal spouses.”
My breath hitches, and I close my eyes. I know exactly where she’s going as soon as she says the words.
She lays it out cleanly, like a business proposal. “A marriage gives you the swing vote. You’d have majority control. You could vote him out. Salvage what’s left.”
I stare at her, trying to read the fine print on her expression.
“A contract. No romance,” she adds. “No sex. Just strategy.”
I look away, toward the glass coffee table in front of us and the worn silver frame sitting on it. It holds a photo of us as teenagers at one of my mom’s charity galas. Corrine had just moved in with us. Her head was still bandaged, and her smile was too small, but she held on to me like I was the only stable thing in the room.
Corrine picks up the frame, brushing a thumb over the glass.
“She always said we were a good match.”
I exhale through my nose, and she hands me the frame.
I hesitate, then take it.
“I just…” I pause, turning the photo over in my hands like it might give me a different answer. “I never thought it would come to this.”
Corrine sets her cup down and gives me thatI feel sorry for yousmile people give. “I know this is the farthest thing from what you wanted.”
“I spent years building this thing with him—even when he made it hell. And now I might have to burn it down to save it.”
That’s all I can say. But she’s looking at me like she’s expecting me to pull a fake engagement ring out right here and say,Let’s do it.
“There’s got to be options. Some loophole we can use to force the board. Draw out the time frame.”
“Grant, I’ve already looked into every possibility. Short of a miracle—which would be Dante suddenly becoming a new person—this is your best choice. Quick and effective.”
Corrine watches me for a moment, then looks at her watch and offers a soft smile.
“I’ve got to run to my next meeting, but… think about it.” She stands, putting my untouched milkshake closer to me. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Just… if it comes to that, you’re not alone.”
She squeezes my shoulder gently as she passes. Then she’s gone, leaving the door half closed and the weight of what she’s offered sitting squarely in my palm.
I’m still turning it over in my mind as I walk to the bookshelf behind my desk.
Sixteen years. That’s how long it’s been. The same age I was when she died. The day I swallowed down more than just grief.The day I learned how to bury secrets deep enough they stopped clawing at the surface.
I slide the photo of Corrine and me behind the one of my mother—just as the door opens behind me.
“Miss me, Glowbug?”
Christ. Dante’s voice carries like smoke—smooth, self-satisfied, and always a little flammable.
It rolls down my back like fire, and though I wanted to ignore him, I turn anyway.
And there he is. All long legs and swagger, like he owns the oxygen in the room.
But it’s the woman on his arm who stops everything.
Red dress. Perfectly tailored. Poised. Confident. Unreadable.
She doesn’t smile. Doesn’t fidget. Just takes in the room like she’s already figured it out.
Ledger Companion.I know it the second I see her.
