The meeting deteriorated forty minutes later. What had begun as controlled disagreement between executives had sharpened into something considerably less civil.
"The proposed timeline is commercially unreasonable."
"It is contractually permissible."
"Permissible does not mean sustainable."
"For Grey Enterprises, perhaps."
One of Grey's executives leaned forward. "Saints cannot seriously expect us to absorb the operational losses created by a unilateral decision."
A Saints executive answered immediately. "Your operational dependence on Saints infrastructure is not Saints Group's responsibility."
"It became your responsibility when you entered the partnership."
"And the partnership does not guarantee indefinite access."
Voices overlapped. Documents shifted across the table. Someone from Legal began quoting a provision. Someone from Grey interrupted halfway through it.
Kashi sat at the head of the table and watched civilisation slowly collapse.
Zach remained in his chair, tapping through figures on his tablet with the expression of a man being paid extremely well to tolerate nonsense.
"Enough." Damian barely raised his voice and the room quietened. His attention settled on Kashi. "There are still years remaining on these agreements."
Kashi rested her fingers against the file in front of her. "I'm aware."
"You keep saying that."
"Because you keep telling me things I already know."
A Grey executive shifted uncomfortably.
Damian ignored him. "You cannot simply walk away because you've decided you no longer want the arrangement."
"I haven't suggested otherwise."
"Then you understand what happens if Saints attempts to terminate early."
Kashi said nothing.
Damian leaned back. "There are penalties. Damages. Existing obligations across multiple projects." His gaze stayed on hers. "Depending on how aggressively you proceed, this could end in court."
The room went quiet. Even Zach stopped touching his tablet.
Damian watched Kashi.
Nothing.
No interruption. No clever remark.
No dismissal. For the first time since entering the room, she simply stared at him.
A small smile touched Damian's mouth.
Finally.
He had spent the entire meeting watching her behave as though Grey Enterprises were something she could scrape from the bottom of her heel.
But contracts did not care about Kashi Saints's pride. Neither did courts.
Damian leaned forward. "So we—"
Kashi turned her head. "Zach."
Damian stopped talking.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"How much does Saints stand to lose if we terminate?" Kashi asked him.
Zach glanced at his tablet. His fingers moved quickly. "Across the affected agreements? Current estimate… Approximately two hundred and forty million euros."
Silence.
Several Grey representatives exchanged glances.
Kashi nodded once, then looked at Damian. "Fine." She folded her hands on the table. "Saints will buy out the contract."
Nobody moved.
Damian stared at her as though she had suddenly lost her mind.
One of Grey's lawyers spoke first. "I'm sorry?"
"What?" Another spoke.
"That isn't possible."
Kashi's gaze shifted towards them.
The lawyer straightened. "Miss Saints, the agreement does not provide Saints Group with unilateral authority to purchase Grey Enterprises out of the remaining term."
Kashi flipped several pages in the file. Her nail tapped once against a paragraph. "Read. Clause fourteen, subsection six."
The lawyer frowned and reached for his copy.
Across the table, Grey's second lawyer was already turning pages.
Paper suddenly became very loud. Damian looked down at his own file.
Kashi waited.
The first lawyer found it. His expression changed.
"Either party may seek early termination subject to the financial settlement mechanism provided under the agreement." He continued reading silently.
Kashi helped him.
"Which requires the remaining commercial value of the partnership to be assessed, outstanding liabilities reconciled, projected revenue and losses calculated, and the respective interests of both parties settled."
The lawyer looked up.
Kashi's mouth curved. "Saints and Grey divide the commercial interest under the existing structure." She tapped the clause again. "If Saints wants out badly enough, Saints can settle its obligations, purchase Grey's remaining interest and end the arrangement."
"That would be an extraordinary amount of money," one of Damian's executives said.
Kashi looked at him. "Yes."
Nothing else.
The man fell silent.
Damian's lawyers were still reading. One whispered something to the other. Pages turned backwards. Then forwards again.
Finally, one of them cleared his throat.
"The provision exists. There would need to be a formal valuation. Several calculations would likely be disputed. There are procedural requirements and—"
Damian went still. Across from him, Kashi smiled.
Years ago, she had drafted this deal while hopelessly, stupidly in love with him.
She had imagined marriage, family.
Saints and Grey tied together for decades.
She had handed him opportunities she would have offered no one else.
But no one had ever said Kashi Saints was foolish.
Love had not stopped her from drafting a good contract. It had not stopped her from protecting her company and it certainly had not stopped her from leaving herself a door.
Her grandfather had drilled that lesson into her long before Damian Grey entered her life.
Always know where the exit is, because you never knew when something would go wrong.
Apparently, sometimes 'something' was a man.
Damian gave a small, bitter laugh. Their eyes remained locked across the table.
Kashi had fucked him.
Properly and the worst part was that she had done it years ago.
Before either of them knew they would one day sit on opposite sides of this table.
Even when Kashi had loved him enough to imagine giving him everything, she had left herself a way to take it back.
Damian exhaled slowly.
Kashi tilted her head. "So." She closed the file. "We can do this quietly." Her voice was pleasant.
"Grey accepts the withdrawal. Legal calculates the settlement, we purchase the remaining interest, everyone signs what needs signing, and we never have to waste another afternoon discussing it."
Damian said nothing, his eyes stayed on hers
"Or…" Kashi's smile deepened. "You can take me to court. Though I'd prefer the latter."
Something in the room changed. Nobody mistook the softness of her voice for kindness.
A chill travelled down the table.
Even the Grey representatives who had spent the past hour arguing with Saints suddenly found their documents extremely interesting.
Damian stared at her.
This woman is insane.
His adviser leaned towards him and whispered something.
Damian listened. His gaze dropped briefly to the documents. Then to the projections on the screen.
The western port.
He had spent years developing the operations attached to it. Walking away completely would solve nothing.
Damian gave a small nod. His adviser leaned back.
Damian looked at Kashi. "The western port is important to Grey. I don't want to lose our position there entirely."
"Then you have a problem." Kashi closed the file in front of her.
"I have a proposal." He said and that caught her attention.
Damian folded his hands. "Give Saints sole ownership."
The Saints executives looked towards him. Kashi's eyes narrowed slightly.
The room had become attentive again.
Damian continued. "Grey remains involved as a shareholder. Minority interest. No joint ownership. No shared control. I'll have Legal draw up a new agreement. Saints takes the asset and controlling interest. Grey retains an equity position and continues managing the operational work already attached to it."
Kashi studied him. This time, she actually considered the proposal. Her irritation aside, the western port made money. A great deal of it and Damian knew its operations better than most.
She tapped one nail against the table. "So let me understand." Her gaze stayed on him. "I own it. You lose control and you continue doing the work while I collect the larger share of the money."
Kashi leaned back slightly. "That sounds significantly better."
Zach lowered his face towards his table.
Damian's mouth twisted. "I'm delighted you're pleased."
Kashi smiled. "I'm beginning to enjoy this meeting." She looked towards her legal team. "Any immediate objections?"
One of the lawyers shook his head. "Not to the structure itself. We would need to review valuation, governance rights, distributions and the revised operating terms."
Kashi looked back at Damian. "And Grey carries the cost of drafting the new agreement."
Damian gave her a flat look. "Of course."
Silence stretched between them.
Kashi nodded. "I'll consider the withdrawal resolved on that basis, subject to Legal approving the new terms."
Damian exhaled. "Agreed." He pushed his chair back and stood.
Around the table, people began gathering files as the tension loosened by degrees.
Damian walked around the table. Kashi rose when he reached her, neither spoke, then Damian extended his hand.
Kashi looked down at it.
A year ago, there had been an engagement between them, a future, families, promises.
Now there was a port.
She placed her hand in his.
Damian's fingers closed around hers. "Miss Saints."
Kashi met his gaze. "Mr Grey."
One firm shake. Nothing more. Then she released him.