Chapter 39 - The Godfather’s Offer | "You're asking me to pay protection money to the firm that tried to murder me?" I asked, a dark, disbelieving laugh escaping my lips.
"We don't call it protection money, Claire. We call it an insurance policy," the voice corrected smoothly. "Think of it as a subscription to life. Fifty million dollars a year, and Aegis Protocol becomes your personal black-ops shield. Anyone who even thinks about harming you or taking your company will simply disappear."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then the open market remains open," he stated simply. "And in your line of work, Claire... success creates far more enemies than failure ever did. You took down the Vances. You destroyed your own board. You think you're safe now? You just put the largest target in the world on your back."
I looked down at the street hundreds of feet below. Cars crawled like tiny glowing bugs. People walked peacefully, completely detached from the shadow war taking place above their heads.
I realized he was right. I couldn't go back to being a normal person. I couldn't undo the blood that had been spilled or the ruthlessness I had embraced. I was no longer the victim of a corporate tragedy—I was the predator at the top of the food chain.
"Fifty million," I murmured.
"A bargain for an empire, wouldn't you say?" the caller replied.
"I have one condition," I stated, my voice hardening like steel.
"Name it."
May you like
"I want the list of every single client who has ever searched my name in your system."
The man on the phone paused for a beat, then let out a low, appreciative hum. "A woman after my own heart. The contract will be delivered by midnight."
