Chapter 7 - THE ULTIMATUM"Laura, wait!" Robert caught the edge of the door with his bare hand, ignoring the sharp splinter biting into his skin. "You don't understand. Victoria is finished. I found the wire transfers. I’m pressing full criminal charges for corporate espionage and fraud. The police are looking for her right now. Your name is cleared. Fully cleared."
Laura stared at his hand gripping the door frame, then slowly raised her gaze to meet his.
"Clearing my name was never your job, Robert," she whispered. "You did it to soothe your own guilt. But my reputation wasn't the thing that needed saving."
"Then what was?!" Robert shouted over the wind, tears mingling with the rain on his face.
"Your humanity," Laura said quietly.
She looked past him, out toward the churning gray horizon where the storm was beginning to break, letting a thin sliver of golden sunlight pierce through the clouds.
"If I come back to that mausoleum, it won't be because you offered me a fortune," Laura said, her voice dropping to a fierce, compelling whisper. "And it won't be because you finally realized you made a mistake. I will come back only if you answer one question honestly—right here, right now, before we step foot in that car."
May you like
Robert braced himself, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "Ask it."
"If your father recovers, if the house fills with laughter again, and if the ghosts of the past are finally laid to rest..." Laura paused, her dark eyes locking onto his soul. "...will you stay? Or the moment the boardroom calls, will you lock your heart back up and walk away like a coward?"
