The morning before my sister’s wedding, our driver suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Lie down on the back seat and cover yourself with a blanket. You need to hear this.” I refused at first, but he insisted, “Trust me.” Half an hour later, I heard Takeo…

He let the sentence trail off.

“You’ll hear everything.”

My pulse hammered against my ribs.

For a moment I hesitated.

Then I stretched across the back seat and pulled the blanket over myself.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped again.

Doors opened.

The first thing I recognized was my father’s cologne.

Then Daniel’s voice.

“Once we get her signature, the takeover is finalized.”