Chapter 4

Stella's hand was shaking as she picked up the pen. The tip touched the paper, making a soft scratching sound.

Miranda beamed, and the shareholders let out a collective sigh of relief. Some of them were already exchanging looks, as if the moment that signature landed on the page, Sutton Group's crisis would truly be over.

I sat on the couch, staring at the words at the top of the agreement—"Transfer without compensation."

The one thing I hated most in this life was giving something away for free. I never skipped a free sample at the supermarket, terrified I'd lose out on even the smallest things.

Then there was Stella, casually giving away shares worth tens of billions like it was nothing.

"You can't sign!" I shot to my feet.

The two security guards immediately moved in on me again and forced me back onto the couch.

My outburst startled Stella. She flinched, and the pen slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the table.

Miranda looked at me with open malice, her voice full of warning. "What the hell are you trying to pull, Taylor? One more word out of you, and I'll have you sleeping on the streets for the rest of your life!"

She turned to Stella and hurried her along. "You've got ten minutes, Stella. After that, the agreement's void. By then it won't just be the shares—you'll be going down with this sinking ship!"

Blake spoke right after her, his tone still maddeningly gentle. "Ms. Stella, the bank's liquidation system is fully automatic. After midnight, the loan recall, forced liquidation, and account freezes will all take effect. By that time, even if you're still willing to sign, I may not be willing to take it."

The shareholders exploded.

"Hurry up and sign, Ms. Stella!"

"Do you really want to drag us old men down with you?"

Stella clenched her fists and stood at the table, her shoulders drawn so tight they were practically locked. Right then, her phone rang. It was the hospital again.

"What? The money's not enough? I'll find a way, I swear. Just don't make my dad leave the ward…" She hung up and swayed on her feet.

Miranda let out a syrupy little laugh. "You heard them. If you don't pay up tonight, Dad's getting kicked out of his ward. Can you live with that?"

Stella shut her eyes. A single tear finally fell, splashing onto the agreement and blooming into a tiny gray blot of ink. Then she opened her eyes again and picked the pen back up, her hand trembling badly.

The tip touched down on the signature line, stroke by stroke. She slowly signed her name.

I sat on the couch, staring daggers at the pen. My heart was pounding out of my chest. If she actually finished signing, it would all be over.

The shares would be gone, the company would be gone, and she would be saddled with debts in the tens of billions. How was that acceptable?

I suddenly wrenched myself free from the two security guards.

"Hey!"

They hadn't expected it, and I shook them off. I rushed to the table in a few quick steps and snatched the agreement out from under Stella's hand before anyone could react. Then I swiftly tore it into shreds and flung the pieces into the air until they were snowing down all over the room.

Everyone went dead silent.

Then the shareholders started slamming their hands on the table. Mr. Ward pointed at me with a shaking hand, while Tom clutched his head and shouted, "It's over, it's over!"

Miranda jumped to her feet and shrieked, "Taylor Walker, are you out of your mind! Security! Drag this lunatic out of here!"

Before the guards could lay a hand on me, I pointed at the amount on the receipt, scratched my head, and said seriously, "But I only put 50 grand into the project. Can that really bankrupt a whole company?"