Chapter 1

Steven Gould's voice was gentle. He wore a well-tailored custom suit, and his gold-rimmed glasses were spotless.

He had even thoughtfully poured a glass of warm water, gently placing it in front of my dad, Richard Sutton.

The entire top-floor conference room was dead silent, and there was a suffocating despair hanging in the air.

I sat on the couch in the corner, mechanically twisting the Rubik's Cube in my hands. The quiet snap of its pieces filled the silence.

No one spared me a glance.

In their eyes, I, Celeste Sutton, was only there for show. To them, I was a fool who couldn't understand a word they said.

Zander York, sitting across from me, picked up his coffee and took a sip.

He was the one behind today's takeover attempt. He was also well known in the business world for being ruthless beneath his friendly exterior.

"Mr. Richard, time is running out," Zander said. "Once midnight passes, Sutton Group's stock will plunge when the market opens tomorrow morning.

"By then, you won't even be able to get the few billion dollars you need to save the company."

Zander spoke lazily, as if he were talking about tomorrow's weather.

Dad's face was pale with anger, and the veins in his forehead throbbed. He stared at the thick acquisition agreement on the table with fear and disgust.

My older brother, Julian Sutton, stood nearby. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.

He took the world of high finance by storm at the age of 18, and he was the business prodigy the Sutton family was most proud of.

But at that moment, he gripped his pen so tightly that his knuckles turned white. There was nothing he could say.

He went through every word in the contract, but he couldn't find a single flaw.

"Julian, look again. Is there really no other way?" My older sister, Yara Sutton, spoke with a slight tremor in her voice.

She had always been cool and aloof, but even her eyes were red-rimmed with tears today.

Julian let go of the pen in his hand, and it rolled across the polished table with a clear click.

"They have three times as much capital as we do," Julian said. "Their short-selling attack was so well hidden that we missed our best chance to fight back.

"Now our cash flow has collapsed, and the banks are pulling our loans. Unless a miracle happens, we're done."

Julian's voice was incredibly hoarse, and he slowly closed his eyes.

Steven let out a soft sigh.

He walked over to Julian and patted him on the shoulder. "Julian, I know this hurts. Sutton Group is like family to me, and I've worked here for ten years.

"No one wants to see this happen more than I do. But the law is about evidence and contracts, while business is about strength.

"Mr. York's terms may be harsh, but at least they'll keep your family safe.

"As long as you're still standing, you can always start over."

Every word Steven said seemed to be for the Sutton family's sake.

I sat in the corner, feeling sick just listening to him.

In my previous life, I was a star lawyer who had never lost a case. I had seen plenty of fake, self-righteous men like him.