Chapter 4

Gasps went through the crowd.

"They've lost their minds. Both of them. All this over one exam?"

"Claire's rattled, that's what it is. If she has to admit that publicly, the rest of her life is finished."

Ever since word got out that the Bennetts had recovered their biological daughter, the press had been watching every move the family made.

Whichever of us took the succession, the company's rivals would go straight at the question of who the heir really was.

And Bennett Group badly needed an heir nobody could argue with.

Standing up now and calling yourself a fraud wasn't losing a bet. It was burying your own future.

This wasn't a wager anymore. Whoever lost wasn't walking away from it.

Richard frowned.

"Lily, that's too far."

Lily's eyes filled at once.

"An heir who only has the position because someone handed it to her — that shames the whole company.

"And if a fool ends up running Bennett Group, it isn't only her who goes down. It's all of us.

"I want a clean contest with my sister, that's all. Only the best of us deserves the Bennett name."

I followed her gaze.

My father — one of the most powerful men in New York — stood there with his brows drawn together.

Diane spoke quietly at his side.

"Lily is thinking about the bigger picture. If Bennett Group goes, this family goes with it."

Richard gave a small nod. He was allowing it.

Whatever thin hope I still had for them went out.

I pulled a pen and a sheet of paper out of my bag and set them in front of Lily.

"Talking's cheap. We put it in writing and sign it, so nobody walks it back."

Lily glanced at the page.

"This is Bennett Group. The biggest company in the city. You think I'd cheat you?"

Then she leaned close to my ear, her voice thick with the win she thought she already had.

"I almost forgot to tell you. You can't beat me — I'm bound to a score-transfer system.

"The harder you study, the higher my exam scores come out.

"There will only ever be one Bennett heir. Me.

"When you've got nowhere left to go, come and beg. Maybe I'll find you a job on the security desk."

I gave her a flat look.

"In that case, I'm raising it again.

"On top of everything already on the table, add seven hundred and fifty million. Plus the millions from the first two rounds. All of it in cash — no property, no stock, no collateral of any kind."

The lobby detonated. Richard nearly came out of his chair.

Bennett Group's liquid reserves ran to about six hundred million. If the company ran dry, the biggest name in the city wouldn't be the biggest name for long.

Worse, its largest subsidiary was expanding hard ahead of an IPO. There was no room for a single misstep.

If I won, I'd be signing the company's death warrant.

"Claire." Richard finally spoke, and his voice had gone gentle. "That's enough for today.

"However this turns out, you and Lily are both my daughters. We cancel today's wagers, and in time the two of you run the company together."

Before I could answer, Lily was on her feet, her eyes bright with something feverish.

"You can fool Dad, Claire. You can't fool me.

"If you lose, where are you finding seven hundred and fifty million?"

I answered her one word at a time.

"A bet is a bet. If I lose, I'll borrow every dollar of it.

"If you're scared, say so. Bennett Group doesn't need a coward for an heir."

Lily stared at me. Then she laughed.

She snatched the pen out of my hand, ignored Richard shouting at her, and dragged her name across the line hard enough to tear the paper.

Then she turned to Greg.

"Read the last one."

Greg started to speak, stopped, and spread his hands.

"Mr. Bennett... you should come and look at this yourself."

Everyone rushed the monitor at once, and then the shouting started.

"A zero!"

"Somebody actually got a zero!"

Lily burst out laughing.

She came toward me slowly, savoring every step, and bent down with the whole posture of a winner.

"Claire, when do we start honoring the agreement?

"I know several major outlets. Want introductions?

"Or beg me now, and maybe I'll ask them to make the coverage a little kinder."

I looked up at her, almost smiling.

"Lily. You're celebrating early.

"They said someone got a zero. Nobody said whose name was next to it."