Sebastian sat there smoking, his face a storm of emotions no one could read. Maybe he hated Reese; he could admit that much. He hated how cold she could be, how she always stood up for Matthew and his daughter, as if Sebastian''s feelings didn''t even matter.


    But if he was being honest, nobody loved Reese more than he did. Divorce was out of the question.


    He crushed out his cigarette and waved his assistant over.


    "Call the police. Tell them Mrs. Ratcliff is a suspect in Grandpa''s murder. Have them get ready to arrest her."


    He paused, then added, "But before you do, have thewyers draw up a statement saying we won''t get divorced. Take it to her and talk things out.


    "If she''s willing to stay married, she can keep her inheritance and we''ll drop everything-no police, no arrest.


    "But if she still insists on a divorce, go ahead and press charges. Have her arrested. Make sure she knows: if she leaves, she gets nothing from Grandpa''s estate."


    Sebastian ground his cigarette into the marble floor, watching thest spark die beneath his polished shoe. He stared down, lost in thought, his face giving nothing away.


    When he talked about using the inheritance and the police to threaten Reese, he sounded like he was talking about squashing a bug. It was chilling.


    "Go talk to her," he said, voice low. "Reese isn''t stupid. I''m sure she''ll make the smart call."


    Even his assistant hesitated. Wasn''t this just pushing Mrs. Ratcliff even further away? "Mr. Ratcliff, isn''t this..."


    Sebastian looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Are you still here? Or do you want someone else to take your job?"


    The assistant mmed up, nodding quickly. He started dialing the police and thewyers as he hurried out to find Reese.


    ***


    Later that afternoon, in the ckOak research building...


    Reese pushed open theb door and stepped out, her fingers still dusted with silvery chip powder. She looked tired, dark circles just visible under her eyes after hours of work.


    As she turned the corner in the hallway, she spotted n arguing in a low voice with a man in a sharp suit.


    The man''s eyes lit up the moment he spotted Reese. He slipped past n and strode right up to here holding out a gold stamped business card.


    "Mrs. Ratcliff, I''m Ashton, head of Legal at Ratcliff Global."


    He handed her a thick envelope. "Mr.


    Ratcliffked me to deliver this t


    you personally. He said its important you read it carefully


    care velbet


    Reese took the envelope, scanned just a few lines, and let out a short, disbelievingugh.


    So Sebastian wanted her to stay married or he''d cut her off from the inheritance and even have her arrested? For real?


    "Sebastian really knows how to drive a hard bargain," she said, voice full of mockery.


    She pped the envelope against Ashton''s chest and turned to leave.


    Ashton stepped in front of her, blocking her way with one arm.


    "Mrs. Ratcliff, you should think this through."


    He nced at his watch, his tone unmistakably threatening. “The police are already on their way


    you sign now, you can leave on your


    own terms.


    "If not, you''re going to be escorted out in handcuffs. And I doubt ckOak''s stock


    will survive that kind of scandal."


    "This is exactly what Mr. Ratcliff wants..."


    Reese stopped and turned to look him straight in the eye. "So this is a threat?


    "I never hurt grandfather. What reason do the police have to arrest me?"


    She pulled out her phone, fingers moving quickly as she dialed Sebastian right there in front of thewyer.


    "Let''s see what Sebastian says. Is he really not worried that I''ll take us both down if he pushes me too far?"