Chapter 7

MELANIE There are so many voices talking at once, all of them speaking legal jargon that I barely understand, and my head is starting to spin. Bryce and our family lawyer talk the loudest, demanding to be heard. I rub my temples and screw my eyes closed. When I open them again, Nathan’s dark stare greets me from across the expanse of the boardroom table. “Give us the room,” he says, and his low, commanding tone makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I hear Bryce snort, but I’m unable to tear my gaze from the man directly in front of me. “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Bryce says, not bothering to hide the disdain in his tone. I’m not sure if it’s for me or Nathan James—probably both. Nathan still doesn’t look at my brother when he calmly repeats himself. “Give us the room.” In my peripheral vision, I see his brother gathering his papers from the table and pat Nathan on the back. “Let’s give them a few moments alone,” Drake says, his tone as commanding as Nathan’s.