The morning sun glinted off Ashford Tower's glass facade as Vivian stepped out of the car, Daniel's small hand tight in hers. She'd dressed for battle sleek black suit, hair pinned back, no trace of the woman Liam once thought he knew.
Inside the lobby, heads turned. Whispers followed her as she crossed the marble floor. The Ashford name carried weight here, and now, so did she.
"Miss Cole," the assistant stammered, rising from behind the reception desk. "Mr. Ashford is in a meeting. He"
"He'll want to see me," Vivian said, voice like steel. "Now."
The woman hesitated, then picked up the phone, her voice low and urgent as she relayed the message. Moments later, two security guards appeared not to stop her, but to escort her up.
Daniel clutched her hand tighter in the elevator. "Mama?"
She crouched down. "Whatever happens, stay by my side. Remember, no one can hurt you while I'm here."
The doors opened to the executive floor. Vivian stepped out, heart steady, gaze fixed ahead.
---
Liam stood at the window when she entered his office, back rigid, hands in his pockets. When he turned, his eyes went first to Daniel silent, watchful then to her.
"You came." His voice was low, unreadable.
Vivian met his gaze. "I'm here for Daniel. And I'm here for the terms."
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. "You've decided already?"
"I decided the moment you made your offer." She stepped forward. "But I'm not here to negotiate in the dark. I'm laying my terms on the table take them, or this ends now."
Liam's jaw tightened. "Vivian"
"No puppet wife, no empty title. I have a say in every decision about our son. This charade ends when I say it does. And I will not be owned by you or your empire."
Silence thickened between them.
Liam studied her, as if seeing her for the first time. The woman who once ran, now standing tall before him.
"You've changed," he said quietly.
"No, Liam. I've grown. And I won't let you break me again."
Daniel's hand found hers, his small fingers warm and sure. Vivian straightened.
"This is the only way forward," she said. "You want to protect your legacy? Then protect your son on my terms."
For the first time, Liam hesitated. The king of his empire, brought to pause by the woman who'd defied him twice.
Liam's gaze flickered to Daniel, standing so quietly beside his mother. The boy's eyes were wide, curious, innocent and yet, Liam saw a spark of the same defiance that burned in Vivian's. His heir. His blood. And a complication he hadn't anticipated.
The silence stretched, thick as the tension between them.
Vivian didn't flinch. "Say something, Liam. Or are you afraid to admit you've lost control of the board before the game even begins?"
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, the cold, calculating businessman returned. But beneath that mask, something shifted something uncertain.
"You think I don't see what you're doing?" Liam said at last, his voice low. "You're cornering me. You want me to look weak."
"I don't care how you look," Vivian shot back. "I care how Daniel lives."
Liam walked slowly around his desk, hands clasped behind his back, as if trying to regain the upper hand. "And you think these terms of yours these demands will protect him? This world doesn't play by rules, Vivian. You should know that by now."
"I know," she said. "But that doesn't mean I'll hand him over to the wolves."
His steps faltered. He looked at her, really looked the determination in her stance, the fire in her eyes. This wasn't the woman who'd once begged him to believe her. This was a mother prepared to burn the world down.
"I'm offering you security," Liam said, quieter now. "Everything you've asked for protection, legitimacy for Daniel, power over your own life. Don't twist this into something it's not."
Vivian laughed softly, bitterly. "Power? You think a contract marriage gives me power? No, Liam. It gives you a leash."
He stiffened. "That's not what this is."
"Then what is it?" she challenged. "Because to me, it looks like the same old game. Only now, the stakes are higher."
Their eyes locked years of pain, betrayal, and unfinished business between them.
Finally, Liam exhaled and moved to the window, looking out at the city he ruled. His voice, when it came, was quieter. "You left without a word. You took my son and disappeared. Do you think that didn't break something in me?"
Vivian's heart clenched, but she didn't let it show. "You broke us before I ever left. I was protecting him. And myself."
"I didn't know," Liam said. His reflection in the glass looked older somehow, wearier. "I didn't know what you were going through. And I can't change that. But I can do this I can make sure no one touches him. That no one touches you."
Vivian hesitated. The sincerity in his voice unnerved her more than the coldness had. But she steeled herself. "Then agree to my conditions. All of them. In writing. No loopholes. No tricks."
Liam turned, his face unreadable. "And if I do? What do I get?"
Vivian's chin lifted. "You get what you wanted a legitimate heir. A mother for your son who won't tear your empire down from the inside. But don't expect love, Liam. Don't expect forgiveness."
For a moment, she thought she saw pain flash in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came.
"I don't expect anything," he said. "Not anymore."
The door opened quietly, and the assistant stepped in, nervous. "Mr. Ashford, the board meeting they're waiting."
Liam didn't take his eyes off Vivian. "Tell them I'll be there in ten."
When the assistant left, he moved closer, stopping just out of reach. His voice dropped, soft enough that only she could hear. "You're stronger than I remembered."
"And you're as dangerous as I feared," Vivian replied.
He almost smiled. "We'll draft the agreement. My lawyers will contact yours."
"They'll work with mine," she corrected. "Not for you."
His gaze darkened, but he gave a small nod. "Fine. Have it your way. But know this, Vivian the moment anyone threatens you or Daniel, I'll act. And I won't ask permission."
Vivian met his warning with one of her own. "And the moment you break the agreement, I walk. With him."
A charged pause hung between them. Then Liam stepped back, the mask of the ruthless CEO sliding into place once more.
"Then we understand each other," he said.
Vivian took Daniel's hand and turned to go, but before she reached the door, Liam's voice stopped her.
"Vivian."
She looked back.
"Whatever you think of me… I will protect him. I swear it."
Their eyes met one final time, and for the first time in years, she almost believed him.