Page 151 of His Good Girl

Vale’s eyes moved to him. “Mr. Mercer, I appreciate loyalty, but loyalty is expensive.”

“Not as expensive as underestimating me.”

I lifted one hand, and Benjamin stopped.

Vale looked back at me. “You have forty-eight hours.”

“No,” I said.

His smile faded for the first time.

“No?” he repeated.

“No.”

Tom shifted beside me. Dana’s eyes cut to my face. Benjamin became very still again.

Vale recovered quickly. “Perhaps you should take time to review the financial implications.”

“I know the financial implications.”

“Then you know the loss of Hartwell could be significant.”

“Catastrophic,ifmishandled,” I replied. “But not fatal.”

“Public exposure of the relationship would make it worse.”

“Yes.”

“And still, your answer is no?”

“My answer is that this meeting is over.”

Vale studied me for a moment, and I saw the calculation behind his eyes. Men like him believed everyone had a price because men like him did. They understood greed, pride, fear, and leverage. They did not understand that I would risk Hartwell and my reputation before I let them use Avery to control me.

He stood. “I hope you do not confuse defiance with strength, Mr. Rowe.”

“You threatened Avery and tried to extort my company. I’ll see you in court.”

Benjamin opened the door before Vale could reach for it. “Security will escort you out.”

Vale paused at the threshold. “You have forty-eight hours.”

“No,” I said again. “Youhave until my legal team finishes drafting my formal response.”

His eyes narrowed and then he left.

For one second, no one spoke.

Then Tom exhaled so hard his legal pad shifted. “That was extortion. That was absolutely extortion.”

Dana looked at me. “And illegal surveillance. And blackmail.”

Benjamin held up his tablet. “And drone use in a restricted urban flight corridor, if the footage is real.”

“It’s real,” I said.

Tom began gathering papers. “We file for injunctive relief preemptively. Preservation letters. Criminal referral if you’re willing. Quiet calls to the mayor’s office before Vale’s people spin this. We need a crisis statement drafted now.”