<h4>Chapter 294: Chapter 294 ckmail Material</h4>


    I had never beenfortable around Emmett Carlisle.


    He was Yvaine’s older brother, tall, sharp-featured, and always dressed in dark suits that seemed to sharpen his edges even more. If Yvaine was sunlight, Emmett was steel. He carried himself like a man who measured every word before letting it out, and most of the time, he decided silence was better.


    When I called him to ask for a meeting, he agreed, but I could hear the unspoken question in his voice. Why me? Why now?


    We met in his office, a ss-walled space high above the city, with views that stretched to the harbour. The shelves were lined with files, ledgers, and a few awards. Nothing personal, not even a photo frame. It was the office of someone who believed sentiment had no ce in business.


    ‘Mirabelle,’ he said when I walked in, his tone clipped. He stood, shook my hand briefly, and gestured for me to sit.


    ‘Thank you for seeing me,’ I said, settling into the leather chair opposite his desk.


    He watched me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. ‘Yvaine said you’ve been... busy.’


    ‘She worries too much,’ I said.


    ‘No,’ Emmett replied. ‘She doesn’t worry enough.’


    That silenced me. He leaned back, steepling his fingers. ‘Why are you involving yourself in this? These fights between corporations, this tug of war at city hall—it’s not your world.’


    ‘I know,’ I admitted.


    ‘Then why?’


    I hesitated, then forced myself to meet his eyes. ‘Because Ashton’s in trouble. And if I can’t help him, then what am I to him? Love isn’t just standing around hoping things work out. It’s protecting the people you love, and the things they’ve built. Ashton spent years building LGH. If I can do something, anything, to keep it safe, then I have to.’


    For a moment, there was silence. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of Emmett’s mouth lifted, almost a smile. ‘Love as strategy. I never thought I would hear that from you.’


    ‘It isn’t strategy,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s survival. If he loses LGH, he’ll lose a part of himself. I won’t let that happen.’


    Emmett regarded me with something like amusement, though his eyes stayed cool. ‘You have more fire than I gave you credit for.’


    ‘Does that mean you’ll help me?’


    He tapped his fingers against the desk. ‘The proposed moratorium is a disaster waiting to happen. Not just for Ashton. For every developer in this city. Of course I oppose it. And if Gerard Haldane is the one pushing it, then there may be a reason.’


    ‘That’s what I need to know,’ I said.


    ‘Careful, Mira,’ he said, his voice dropping lower. ‘Digging into men like Haldane has consequences. You think you are stepping into Ashton’s world, but Ashton knows the rules. You don’t. One wrong move, and it won’t be him who pays the price. It will be you.’


    ‘I’ll take that risk,’ I said.


    Again, that flicker of amusement. ‘Very well. I will put some people on it. But it will take time.’


    ‘How long?’


    ‘A week. Maybe more. Be patient.’


    Patience had never been my strength, but I nodded anyway.


    ***


    True to his word, a weekter, Emmett summoned me back. He was waiting in the same chair, but this time a slim folder sat open on his desk. He pushed it towards me as I sat.


    ‘This is what we found,’ he said.


    I flipped through the papers, my pulse quickening. Bank transfers that didn’t match his dered assets. Land purchases hidden under shellpanies. A mistress tucked away in a serviced apartment. Even a gambling trip to Macau where the losses were staggering, but mysteriously covered by unnamed benefactors.


    I stared at the pages. ‘This is...’


    ‘Enough to destroy him,’ Emmett said.


    I swallowed. ‘This is what Lea used, isn’t it? This is how she forced him into pushing the moratorium.’


    Emmett nodded. ‘That’s my guess as well. Lea Lopez is not someone to underestimate. If you think you can outmanoeuvre her, think again. She ys with sharper knives than you have ever held.’


    ‘I don’t care,’ I said.


    ‘You should.’


    ‘I don’t have a choice. If I wait, Ashton loses everything. If I act, maybe we still have a chance.’


    Emmett studied me for a long time, then finally gave a short nod. ‘Very well. But if you y this card too soon, she will know it was you. And she will retaliate.’


    ‘I’ll be ready,’ I said, though my stomach knotted as I spoke.


    He closed the folder and slid it into a in envelope. ‘Then this is yours.’


    ***


    A week after that first meeting, I stood outside a hotel conference room with the envelope clutched in my bag. The hotel was one of those sleek, modern ces with marble floors and brass ents, full of people in expensive suits who looked like they had been born negotiating.


    I paused by the door, checked my reflection in the ss wall opposite. My lipstick was steady, my hair pinned neatly. No trembling hands, no racing heart visible from the outside. Inside, though, it was a different story.


    I thought of Ashton lying pale in his hospital bed, of his bandaged hand, of the fever that had nearly killed him. I thought of Lea’s mocking voice, telling me I was no threat.


    Then I straightened my shoulders, lifted my hand, and knocked.