"It only hit me after I realized Madam walked right into Ratcliff Global without anyone stopping her..." The old man really had left shares for Reese.


    "You can go." Sebastian waved Brady off. He knew none of this was Brady''s fault. If even Sebastian didn''t know about the shares, it made sense for Brady to think Joseph was just spreading rumors. Still, his grandfather never left loose ends. If he wanted Reese to have shares, there''d be some trace. Unless... the will had been purposely hidden.


    With that thought, Sebastian left the study and stopped at the top of the stairs, calling for the butler. "Did my grandfather''swyer ever bring a will here?"


    The butler, standing in the hall, looked up at Sebastian''s impatient face and felt a jolt of panic. The will had been delivered, but thewyer had made it clear: Sebastian couldn''t see it until he and Reese got divorced. So the butler had handed it over to Jane for safekeeping.


    "Speak!" Sebastian barked, catching the butler''s nervous nce. "What, now that I''ve been kicked out of Ratcliff Global, you''re hiding things from me too?"


    "Sir, I swear I didn''t mean to keep it from you," the butler stammered. "Your grandfather''sst wish was that the will couldn''t be revealed before you and Madam were divorced."


    Sebastian frowned, irritation prickling under his skin. What did that even mean? If he never divorced Reese, did that mean the will would stay hidden forever?


    But from the butler''s reaction, Sebastian knew the will had definitely been brought to the house. If it wasn''t here with him, it had to be with Jane.


    He turned away and headed upstairs, straight to Jane''s room. The space looked just as it always had when his grandfather was alive. The pearl jewelry box sat perfectly on the vanity, a cdon vase stood in the corner, and the air still carried the faint scent of gardenia. Nothing had changed.


    Sebastian moved without hesitation to the vanity and knelt down to open the bottom drawer. Years ago, he''d had this secretpartment installed for Jane. She always kept her most important things there. The drawer was locked, but Sebastian felt around the cosmetics tray and soon found a key tucked at the bottom. He slid it into the lock and turned it. The drawer opened with a soft click.


    Inside, files were stacked neatly. He pushed them aside until his fingers brushed against a stiff man envelope. He pulled it out and opened it.


    There it was. The will, stamped by the notary, his grandfather''s personal seal pressed into the paper. Tucked underneath was a disc. It was obvious the will had been made after his grandfather became too weak to write, so he''d recorded his wishes and left everything with thewyer.


    Sebastian''s eyes narrowed. He thought about Leslie, about missing his grandfather''sst moments because of her. If it hadn''t been for Leslie maybe his grandfather wouldn''t have passed so soon, not just from the news of the surrogacy. His anger at Leslie burned even hotter.


    He took a slow breath, unfolding the will to read it. He needed to know what about this will was so secret it couldn''t be made public unless he and Reese split.


    "To recognize Reese Meyer as the Ratcliff family''s adopted granddaughter and grant her eight percent of Ratcliff Global''s shares. The transfer to be handled by thewyer..."


    Adopted granddaughter? Every wordnded like a punch straight to his chest.


    Sebastian let out a bitter, twisted


    let out


    smile. So that''s why the will could only be revealed after a divorce. His grandfather had known Reese would insiston leaving, that their marriage was never going tost. He''d hidden it to protect her. The shares the new title-none of this was just a will. It was a safety, a way to make sure Sebastian couldn''t hurt Reese if they parted ways.


    No wonder Jane was so convinced Reese had caused his grandfather''s


    death, calling her cold a


    for wanting a divorce. When


    Sebastian had rushed home from Leslie''s, desperate to see his grandfather onest time, Jane had med Reese for everything and refused to let them divorce. She was terrified the will woulde to light, that Reese would get a piece of


    Ratcliff Global.


    It all made sense now-why Jane helped Leslie steal the de project data from ckOak. They must''ve struck some kind of deal back then.


    The realization left Sebastian feeling hollow and powerless. He sank onto the stool


    in front of the vanity, bitterness flooding his chest. This was his mother. His grandfather. His whole life, he''d just been a pawn in their hands. What a joke.


    "If the will can only be revealed after a divorce, then it''ll never be revealed." Sebastian put the will back in the envelope and locked it away. He looked out the window, his eyes steely with determination.


    "I''m never getting a divorce. Not in this lifetime."


    It didn''t matter that their marriage had always been built on misunderstandings and business deals. It didn''t matter that Reese had kept her distance all this time or that so many lies stood between them. He''d never let her go.


    Reese was his wife. In this life, she could only ever belong to him.