Chapter 17
The notice arrived on a gray morning, hand-delivered by a courier whose stiff professionalism did little to soften the blow. Ariel brought the envelope into Bruce’s study, her hands pale against the stark white paper.
“It is marked urgent,” she said quietly, setting it on the desk. She did not linger, but Bruce caught the flicker in her expression before she turned to leave.
Bruce stared at the envelope for a long time without moving. The silence of the study seemed louder than usual, the ticking of the clock a steady reminder that he could not put this off. At last, with a sharp breath, he broke the seal.
The words inside confirmed what he had feared.
The court had ruled in Alec Benjamin’s favor. Rights to the estate, the very house Bruce stood in, were being transferred.
