The dining room of Vane Manor had been converted into a temporary boardroom. Sunlight streamed through the arched windows, glinting off the polished mahogany table and the crystal carafes of water—and the heavy, red wine Julian had insisted on serving to "celebrate" our union.At the head of the table sat Mr. Sterling, the Vane family’s lead counsel for thirty years. He looked at me over his spectacles, his expression unreadable. To his left were three other lawyers, their pens ready, their faces as stiff as their starched collars.And then there was the document.The *General Power of Attorney and Asset Consolidation Agreement*.In my past life, I hadn't even read the title. I had been so blinded by Julian’s whispers of "doing it for us" that I had signed my name with a smile. I had handed him the keys to the Vane Conglomerate, my father’s life’s work, and my own freedom."Everything is in order, Elena," Julian said, his voice dropping into that smooth, hyp
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