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2026-08-26 00:28:58
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I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 67
Sterling's fury, when Ivy showed him the message that evening, was quieter and more controlled than she expected, the particular, dangerous stillness that had always meant something considerably more serious than shouting."This is harassment," he said, voice tight. "Direct intimidation of a witness, during active litigation. This isn't a gray area anymore, Ivy. This is criminal.""I'm not officially a witness," Ivy pointed out, though the distinction felt thin given the message's clear intent. "I never testified against him directly.""You're his son's wife, connected to nearly every piece of the case against him, and someone on his legal team, or someone working for them, is clearly monitoring you closely enough to know about the pregnancy before most of our own extended family did." Sterling's jaw was tight. "That's not a coincidence, and it's not something we're going to just absorb quietly."They reported the message to the police and to Sterling's legal team the following mornin
I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 66
Ivy arrived at Vane Tower twenty minutes later, Declan's warning still sitting uneasy in her chest, and found Sterling and Reagan already gathered in the conference room, a thick stack of legal documents spread across the table between them."Holt's defense team filed this as part of discovery," Reagan said, sliding a folder toward Ivy the moment she sat down. "It's meant to undermine Trent's credibility as a witness. I want you to see it before it becomes public, because it's going to complicate things considerably, regardless of how the trial actually goes."Ivy opened the folder, and felt her stomach drop reading the first page, old, careful documentation of financial transactions between Trent and a company Ivy didn't recognize, dated years before any of the Vane Corp chaos had started."What is this," she asked slowly."Evidence that Trent's takeover pattern, the same one that eventually led him to Vane Corp, actually started with direct coaching from Holt himself, years before B
I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 65
The next few weeks passed in a warm, steady rhythm that felt, to Ivy, like the particular kind of peace she'd once been terrified to fully believe in, wedding chaos and Holt's threats and even the recent Ashworth complication all settling into the past, replaced by the quiet, precious ordinariness of early pregnancy and a career she'd genuinely built with her own two hands.The first ultrasound came at ten weeks, Ivy and Sterling crowded into a small exam room, both of them holding their breath at the particular, surreal sight of a small, flickering heartbeat on the screen."That's really happening," Sterling said, voice thick with wonder, his hand finding Ivy's and gripping tight. "That's actually our baby.""That's actually our baby," Ivy confirmed, tears threatening despite the joy, the doctor's careful, reassuring commentary fading into background noise beneath the enormity of the moment.They told her parents in person that weekend, her mother's reaction somewhere between joyful
I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 64
Ivy met Kennedy at the firm within the hour, the excited pregnancy plans temporarily set aside for the particular, familiar tension of a business situation shifting unexpectedly, and studied the revised documents Kennedy spread across the conference table with a growing, uneasy focus."The original terms gave both companies equal operational control over the shared regional infrastructure," Kennedy said, tracing a finger down the new language. "This version quietly shifts majority decision making authority to Ashworth Logistics, buried in language dense enough that most people wouldn't catch it without reading closely.""That's not what we agreed to in the first meeting," Ivy said, something cold settling low in her stomach despite the day's earlier joy."No. It isn't." Kennedy's expression was grim. "I don't know if this is Declan overreaching on his own initiative, or something else entirely. But I wanted you to see it before it went to Sterling's team, given how closely you've been
I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 63
Sterling arranged the meeting within the week, the company's senior immigration attorney reviewing Reagan's sister's case with the same careful thoroughness she'd have applied to any major corporate filing, and Ivy watched, over the following days, something in Reagan's careful composure finally, genuinely loosen."They found the processing error," Reagan reported, joining Ivy and Sterling for dinner two weeks later, something lighter in her voice than Ivy had heard in longer than she'd noticed the weight had been building. "A simple clerical mistake, apparently, but exactly the kind of thing that takes forever to correct without someone actually pushing the right channels. The attorney thinks it'll resolve within a month now instead of dragging on indefinitely.""That's wonderful news," Ivy said, meaning it fully."It is." Reagan's smile was genuine, unguarded in a way Ivy rarely saw from her. "Thank you both. I know I didn't ask for this directly, but I'm grateful you offered anyway
I'm The Thorn Stuck In The Billionaire Celebrity's Foot 62
Sterling read the message twice over Ivy's shoulder, something thoughtful crossing his face. "Ashworth Logistics. I know the name. Solid company, well run, considerably smaller than Vane Corp but growing fast in exactly the regional corridor we've been trying to strengthen since Holt's mess.""Why would they want my firm specifically," Ivy asked, curious rather than wary this time, the old automatic suspicion finally, genuinely settling."Good reputation travels fast in this industry, especially after the Eloise Foundation launch made the rounds." Sterling's voice carried real pride. "You've built something people notice, Ivy. This isn't Holt trying to get close to us through a back door. This is a legitimate company recognizing good work."The meeting, scheduled for the following Tuesday, brought Ivy and Kennedy into Vane Tower's boardroom alongside Sterling and Reagan, and Ashworth Logistics arrived represented by a man Ivy hadn't met before, sharp featured and precisely dressed, wi
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