Chapter 6: The Clause

Cassian's pov

Declan didn't answer his phone until the fourth call, and when he finally did, he sounded like he was talking to a stranger.

"Cass. Hey. Kind of in the middle of something."

"You've been in the middle of something for three days." I paced the length of my office. "We need to talk about the board meeting. About damage control. About…"

"Yeah, listen, I've actually got to run." A pause, too long. "I'll call you back."

"Declan. Don't hang up."

He did anyway.

I stood there holding the phone like it might ring again if I stared at it hard enough. It didn't. I set it down on the desk and looked around the office I'd built from nothing, and for the first time in longer than I could remember, none of it felt like mine.

I told myself Declan was busy. I told myself Marcus hadn't returned my texts because he was traveling. Then I called Marcus anyway.

He picked up on the second ring, which should have been a relief. It wasn't.

"Cassian."

"You're in town," I said. "Your assistant posted a photo from the lobby two hours ago."

"You tracking my staff now?"

"I'm asking why you've gone quiet while I'm on fire."

"I'm asking why you think I still work for you." A short silence. "I can't do this tonight, people are watching who I talk to."

"People," I said. "Or Seraphina."

"Goodnight, Cass."

The line died.

I used to think I knew every version of Seraphina Vale. I had never once met the version of her sitting in that boardroom. And that terrified me more than the money did.

My assistant knocked twice before letting herself in. Priya didn't interrupt me unless the building was on fire or my life was.

"Mr. Rourke." She held an envelope like it was something that might bite her. "This came by courier. Marked urgent."

"Leave it on the desk."

"Sir, I think you should open it while I'm still here. The courier waited for a signature and asked if you were in the building."

"I said leave it."

She set it down, then didn't move. "Do you want me to call Harrison?"

"I'll call him."

She left. I let the envelope sit there for eleven minutes before I finally picked it up.

My bank accounts frozen, pending internal review.

I picked up the phone and called my lawyer instead of my friends, because apparently that was the hierarchy now. Friends first when things are good. Lawyers first when your life is on fire.

"Harrison. I need you to look into something."

"Cassian. I was actually about to call you." His voice had that particular flatness. "About the divorce settlement."

Something in my chest went cold. "What about it?"

"There's a clause. Added late, before the final signing. You didn't catch it. I don't think anyone on your side caught it, frankly, which is either very bad lawyering or very good lawyering on hers, depending which side of it you're standing on."

"Harrison. What. Clause."

"It ties a portion of your personal assets to the outcome of active litigation involving Valecrest-adjacent contracts. Given the Aurelian situation…"

"Say it in English."

A pause. I could hear him exhale on the other end.

"She's entitled to a significantly larger share than you agreed to. Possibly more than half, depending how the board rules on the Aurelian fallout."

"That was not the deal."

"It was the deal the moment that clause went in. I need a few days to confirm the exact language, but Cassian... I think you need to prepare yourself. This wasn't an oversight. Someone built this clause specifically for a scenario like the one you're in right now."

"Can I fight it?"

"You can try. Tomorrow's meeting will decide how much there is left to fight over."

I don't know how long I didn't say anything. Long enough that Harrison eventually said my name twice before I answered.

"I'll call you back," I said, and hung up before he could say whatever he was going to say next, because I already knew what it would be.

I stood up, walked to the window, and thought about calling Seraphina. My thumb actually hovered over her name in my contacts before I caught myself.

What would I even say? I'm sorry the bet destroyed your trust in me, but could we discuss the settlement terms before I lose everything? There wasn't a version of that sentence that didn't sound exactly like what it was.

And the worst part was that some of it hadn't been fake. Somewhere between the bet and the boardroom, I had started to actually look forward to coming home to her.

My phone buzzed against the desk. I flipped it over, half-hoping, half-dreading it was her.

It was Priya.

*Mr. Rourke... board has moved the emergency meeting to tomorrow 9am. They're asking for your projections on Aurelian fallout. Also... Ms. Quinn called three times. Should I keep forwarding her calls?*

Vespera.

I stared at the name for a long moment, feeling something ugly and complicated twist in my chest. She'd sat in my study, in my house, in my life, for months, encouraging every cruel word I'd said to my wife, and I hadn't even noticed how much of my own bitterness she'd been feeding until it was too late to unswallow any of it.

The phone rang in my hand. I answered before I could stop myself.

"Cassian." Vespera's voice came soft, "Don't hang up. I can help you with the board."

"You sat in my house and watched me wreck my marriage."

"I sat in your house because you let me." She waited. "Come over. We'll write the statement together. You don't have to do tomorrow alone."

"I did every day of it alone. I just didn't notice."

"Cass…"

"Don't call this number again."

I hung up and typed one line back to Priya.

*No. Block the number.*

Then I sat back down. Tomorrow I'd face the board. Tonight I just sat in the dark, replaying the sound of her voice, and finally understood, with a clarity that hurt, that I hadn't just lost a business deal.

I'd lost the only person who had ever seen through every version of me and stayed anyway…