The silence that followed felt like the moment after a gunshot.
"Holy shit," Cassidy whispered.
"Indeed," Marcus agreed. "Now, as for this afternoon's meeting. I suggest we arrive slightly early and set up in the conference room. When your mother walks in expecting to intimidate a young man into leaving her daughters alone, she'll instead find herself facing a full legal team ready to challenge every decision she's made for the past four years."
"She'll fight," Vivienne said. "She'll drag it out, tie it up in courts for years."
"Possibly," Marcus acknowledged. "But I don't think she will. Your mother is pragmatic above all else. When she realizes she can't win, she'll negotiate. And that's when you'll have her."
"What do we want?" Harlow asked softly. "I mean, if we can get her to negotiate, what are we asking for?"
The sisters looked at each other. Then, as if they'd practiced it, they all turned to look at me.
"Don't," I said.
