"Can you leave me and my granddaughter alone? I need to talk to her in private." Sinir''s voice was calm, but it carried the weight ofmand.


    There was no room for negotiation.


    Lina nced at me, her expression softening with concern as she gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.


    "We''ll be right outside the door if you need us," she reassured me, before walking out of the room.


    The door clicked shut behind her, and the silence that followed was suffocating. I was now alone with Sinir and Victor, the air in the room thick with tension.


    I appreciated Lina''s kind gesture, but I knew what I had to do. My resolve couldn''t be shaken, not even by her warmth or kindness. If I was going to carve my own path, I had to break free from all of them, forge my way without relying on anyone.


    The first step would be to ept Sinir''s deal.


    Sinir''s sharp gaze pierced through the quiet as he leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his chair.


    "I think you know by now, Eve, that you''re no longer safe," he began, his voice low but firm. "And you understand what that means, don''t you?"


    I nodded, the weight of the situation pressing down on my chest. There was no denying it—danger lurked around every corner, and I was in no position to protect myself, not yet at least.


    Sullivan wielded power, fortified by the formidable Rosette name, while I was left standing in the shadows, utterly powerless.


    I had zero bnce in my ount, my finances scattered like leaves in the wind—each investment tied up and immobilized, waiting for the day they would bloom.


    The stark reality of my situation wed at me; I was stranded in a sea of uncertainty, desperately grasping at dreams that felt just out of reach.


    Sinir studied me for a moment, then continued, "If you ept my deal, I''ll provide the protection you need, long enough for you to establish yourself, to gain the power to defend yourself. In return, you''ll help the Rosette''s business grow."


    His words hung in the air like a heavy cloud, and for a moment, I was silent, letting the enormity of the offer sink in.


    How could I possibly ept that kind of deal after everything Sullivan and the Rosette family had done to me?


    It felt like a betrayal to my past self to even consider it. The heaviness of their past actions pressed on my heart, a constant reminder of the pain they had inflicted.


    Yet, I knew that Sinir and Victor weren''t part of it. And I needed this deal now more than ever, like a lifeline in a stormy sea, even if it meant joining forces with the very people that''s part of the family I loathed.


    Desperation wed at my resolve, making the choice all the more agonizing.


    I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to say. "I''ll agree to your deal on one condition," I said slowly, my voice steady. "None of your sons—neither of them—inherit the legacy you leave behind."


    Sinir''s lips curled into a smirk, a humorless sound escaping him as he snorted. "I''d rather donate everyst penny of my fortune to charity than let those scoundrels inherit anything," he said bitterly.


    His eyes darkened as he spoke, and I saw the deep well of resentment thaty beneath his cool exterior. "But it won''t be easy to oust them from thepany. It''ll be a long, bloody battle. I''m already old, and a lot of the investors are leaning towards the young, towards them."


    He looked over at Victor, his trusted right-hand man, who stood by the door, as stoic as ever. "Are you ready for this?"


    Victor gave a curt nod. "Whenever you are," he replied, his voice calm.


    It seemed Sinir was dead serious about cing Victor on the throne.


    I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. I had only recently learned of the turmoil within Sinir''s own family, the bitter infighting that threatened to tear everything apart.


    His two sons, greedy and power-hungry, had been secretlyundering money from the Rosette corporation, siphoning it off to start their own ventures under different names. They wanted control, and they didn''t care if they destroyed the Rosette''spany to get it.


    Worse still, Sinir''s life had been threatened more than once—by his own blood. His sons had turned on him, seeing him as an obstacle to their ambitions.


    The only thing keeping them at bay was his irond will, which decreed that if he died under suspicious circumstances, all his wealth would be donated to charity. It was the only leverage he had left, the one thing that kept his sons from openly plotting against him.


    I couldn''t help but feel a pang of pity for the old man. To see your own flesh and blood turn against you, to know that the people you raised would rather see you dead for the sake of power and money . . . it was a fate I wouldn''t wish on anyone.


    Sinir''s voice broke through my thoughts, cold and resolute. "If I leave the Rosette empire in their hands, they''ll run it into the ground. They hate that I still control thergest share, and they want to bleed thepany dry, to strip it apart piece by piece until there''s nothing left but dust."


    I sighed, ncing at him, then at Victor. I could see the weight of years of struggle in Sinir''s eyes, the burden of carrying a legacy that could copse at any moment.


    I looked back at him, my decision solidifying. "As long as your sons don''t inherit the Rosette''s legacy, I''ll ept your deal."


    This was my only choice, my only way out. Sinir''s protection would buy me time, enough time to build something of my own, to forge my own business empire without the constant fear of being hunted down by his treacherous family.


    It wasn''t a perfect solution, but it was the only path I had left.


    Sinir''s gaze softened slightly, his nod one of mutual understanding. This wasn''t just a business transaction—it was a war, and we both knew it.


    I was stepping onto a battlefield, but I refused to be a pawn any longer.


    I had once been willing to bury the past, to forget everything they had done and find sce in a quiet life somewhere far away.


    But Sullivan''s act of kidnapping shattered that fragile hope, revealing the grim reality that a peaceful life was no longer an option, as long as they held some kind of power. The best course of action would be to chip off that power, so they could no longer be a threat to me.


    I understood now—he wouldn''t stop until he had mepletely exiled or killed.


    But neither would I back down.


    This time, I will fight back.