Neil stares at the phone as if he could incinerate it with his eyes. “We’re not signing.”

“Think carefully before you make that call. Your uncle will use this against you.”

Neil’s head jerks back, like he’s been slapped. “Really? You’re his heavy, now? Did I piss off the Godfather? Am I going to wake up with a bloody horse’s head in my bed?”

“Don’t be dramatic,” the lawyer rumbles. “I’m just reminding you that he’d do anything for his company. And your marriage threatens the family’s hold on voting rights. So you can expect that he’ll take action to protect his shares and his interests in the foundation.”

“What kind of action?” I whisper. Because that sounds bad.

“He’ll go after Neil’s board seat,” the lawyer says. “I’m just stating facts.”

“Here’s a fact,” Neil spits. “You’re fired.”

The lawyer sighs. “You can’t actually fire me. You know that, right?”

“I do know that,” Neil clips. “But if you were my personal attorney, you’d be fired for insulting Charli like this.”

“We offered her a quarter million dollars!” the lawyer booms.

“An insult that comes with two-hundred-fifty large is still an insult. Now go bill my uncle for your time and tell him to get fucked.” Neil taps the screen, and the call is disconnected.

I let out a long breath. “Okay. Wow. You just fired the guy who was going to fix this!” My voice gets a little high and crazy. “We’re still married, Neil! Maybe I should have just signed.”

“No!” he thunders, rising to his feet. He steps around the coffee table and begins to pace the vast expanse of his living room. “No way. We’re not signing that thing. I wouldn’t lower myself to that.”

“But what’s the alternative?” I squeak. “You can’t lose your father’s company over this. It’s not worth it.”

“Isn’t it? My uncle is a bully. He’s been controlling my mother and sister for years.”

“But how does this end?” I fret. “The lawyer made it sound like you could lose everything just because we got drunk in Vegas.”

He stops pacing and turns to me. “No way, Charli. Even if I lose my seat on the board, I’ll still keep most of my shares.”

“Oh.” I know nothing about Neil’s strange life. “But that’s still bad, right?”

He shrugs. “It depends on your point of view. My uncle hates me, and the feeling is mutual. I’ve been trying to get him to step down as my mother’s trustee. I’ve been trying to make his company more ecologically responsible. I’ve gotten nowhere. But now that could change.”

“Because of me? Not likely.”

He stops pacing. He glances out the window, toward the Manhattan Bridge in the distance. His handsome face says he’s thinking. Hard.

I find myself holding my breath, and I’m not even sure why.

“I have a plan,” he says quietly. He turns around and pins me with his hazel-eyed stare. “I know how to win. I’ll beat him at his own game.”