"What?" Audrey called, already changing.

"My father says the city's opening up a parcel of land up north for development. They want a major hospital on it. Interested?" Omar hadn't planned on pulling her into this.

He knew Ramos Enterprises had its eye on the project. But now that she and Diego were finished, she had a right to hear about it.

Audrey had always wanted to be a doctor. Even if she never wore the coat herself, she wanted to build a hospital that mattered—real equipment, real specialists, the whole thing.

She'd never told him why it meant so much. Omar had decided a long time ago that he'd help her build it anyway. She wasn't his sister by blood, but the distinction had stopped mattering years ago.

"Really?" Audrey came out of the dressing room, and her voice was bright.

Both men forgot how to breathe for a second.

The black top sat clean across her collarbones and showed off a waist that didn't look real. The little star-and-moon pendant at her throat caught the light. The skirt did the rest.

Omar covered his eyes, theatrically. "Don't. I'm weak."

Reid laughed. "She always does this."

In private, he liked being able to just call her Audrey.

"You're sure about going up against Ramos Enterprises on this?" Omar asked, the humor draining out of his voice. He'd half expected her to hesitate.

They'd been partners once, and she'd given up more for that man than anyone should have to.

"I don't care who's on the other side of the table. I'm winning it." She said it calmly, like a fact she'd already checked.

Omar came from the Bells. Old money, a dozen companies under the Bell Group, and a name that opened doors in Crestview the way the Ramos name did. The two families had circled each other for thirty years without ever quite competing.

The land up north was perfect for a hospital. Prime location, room to expand, the potential to become the largest medical center in the state. With the Bells behind her, Audrey could go head to head with the Ramos family and not blink.

"Celebration first. Just send me the bid date." She smoothed the skirt, picked up her bag, and walked out with both of them trailing her.

---

The Grand Chateau was a members-only club—restaurant, bar, spa, the works. Very few people knew Reid Medina owned it.

"Should I get us a private room?" Reid asked, already deferring to his boss.

Omar gave him a look. "Why are you never this nice to me?"

"Come on. House rules. Anything goes, unless Audrey's involved."

They took a low-key table in the main room instead of a private one. Audrey didn't want to make Reid break his own rules, and the main room gave her a much better view of the available men.

She'd spent three years so fixed on Diego that she'd forgotten other men existed. Tonight she intended to correct that.

---

Across the room, Diego was mid-conversation with Marcus Vance when a familiar figure came through the door.

She drew the whole room, and she didn't appear to notice. Behind her walked two men, neither of them easy to overlook.

"Isn't that your wife? What's she doing with Omar Bell?" Marcus asked. He knew who Audrey was after the mess at Ramos Enterprises. Reid didn't surprise him. Omar Bell was a different league.

Diego's face went dark. "Ex-wife."

"Fine. Ex-wife. Weren't you trying to get five minutes with Omar Bell? Have her introduce you. They look—close."

It was a casual suggestion, but Marcus knew exactly how badly Diego wanted that hospital project. The Bell Group preached open bidding. Everyone also knew a quiet word with a Bell could tilt a room.

Diego followed his gaze and found Audrey laughing with her arm slung over Omar's shoulder. His expression darkened another degree. They weren't even divorced yet and she was already out with other men.

And not just any man. The Bell heir. Like she'd had the next one lined up the whole time.

His grip tightened on the glass. He was halfway across the room before he'd decided to move.

Audrey and her friends were mid-game when he appeared. The three of them went still for half a second. The air sharpened—then flattened out again.

"Audrey." Low, with an edge. "You have some nerve. Working on my mother this morning and turning up in a club by dinner."

She scoffed. "What exactly do you think I'm damaging, Mr. Ramos? My standing as your soon-to-be ex-wife? Whether I'm here for business or for fun is not your concern."

His heart stuttered. That landed harder than he'd expected. "You're bidding on the Bell project."

Why else would she be with Omar?

But a security firm—even a famous one—was not Ramos Enterprises. What made her think she could play at this level?

Behind him, Marcus swallowed a laugh, watching Audrey like she was the punchline. "Look at that. Your ex-wife's really come into her own."

Reid was almost speechless. Did this clown have any idea who her family was?

"None of it is your business. Try focusing on your own life instead of inserting yourself into other people's." Audrey's reply was ice.

"You—"

Marcus rushed to smooth it over, lifting his glass toward Omar. "Mr. Bell. I've heard a lot about you. Could we borrow five minutes? We're very interested in the north site."

Omar gave him a thin smile and touched glasses without warmth. "No need. I'm here with Audrey, and I don't have much to say to people who came over to bait her."

While Marcus fumbled for another angle, Audrey stood and gave Diego a smile that never reached her eyes. "We're done here. Let's go."

Reid and Omar fell in behind her without a beat, leaving Diego furious and Marcus lost.

Omar and Audrey were obviously close. How on earth did she know a man like that?

The next morning, Audrey arrived at the attorney's office on the hour, dressed like she was going to war. Reid held the umbrella and carried her bag, and made a production of both.

"Ms. Griffin. Your ID and the signed agreement." He handed the folder over. Audrey glanced at Diego. "Mr. Ramos. Shall we?"

He fell into step beside her. "Audrey. Are you seriously bidding on the Bell project?"

"Why? You think it's impossible?" She stopped and looked at him, cool.

"I'm serious. This isn't a small job. Do you have any idea what a project that size takes in capital alone, or how complicated the build-out is? A security firm can't carry that. Is taking a swing at me worth putting your company at risk?"

Audrey almost laughed in his face. "Mr. Ramos. Are we finalizing this or not? Because if we're not, I have a day. And what I do with my company is not your concern." She walked in ahead of him, chin up.

Diego adjusted his tie, suffocating, and followed.

It was uncontested and both sides had already signed. The lawyers had the filing ready; the whole thing took less than an hour. Audrey looked down at the executed agreement in her hand and a bitter smile tugged at her mouth. Three years, closed out in the time it took to drink a coffee.

She shoved the ache down, flicked the edge of the pages, and handed them to Reid. "Get this framed. Today. Double-sided, and I want diamonds on the frame."

Reid blinked. "I have genuinely never framed a divorce before."

He couldn't help admiring her for it. "Consider it done, Ms. Griffin."

Across the lobby, Marcus Vance stood with his mouth slightly open. "She's framing it. Double-sided. Of course she is."

He drifted a few steps away from Diego, out of the blast radius.

Diego's face was unreadable, and he had nothing to say.

Eager to change the subject, Marcus tried, "Did you talk her out of the bid? That could end very badly for her."

"She refused. I'll find another way."

He intended to win that land.

"She refused?" Marcus was surprised, and a little impressed. "I think she's making a mistake, but I like her nerve."

Then, lower, "Honestly though, don't hold it against her. You were lining up a hospital for Lila before the ink was dry. In her position I'd come after you too."

They kept their voices down. Audrey and Reid heard every word anyway.

Audrey's hand went to her chest. So it was for Lila. Of course it was. The man's devotion really did run deep.

"Are you all right, Ms. Griffin?" Reid asked, noticing how pale she'd gone.

"I'm fine. Just get the frame done."

"On your desk by this afternoon."

---

That afternoon, Audrey found a quiet half hour to call her brother, Michael Griffin, a well-regarded surgeon overseas. The time difference meant they planned these carefully.

"How's my little sister holding up?" Michael asked, in a T-shirt in his own kitchen. "I hear it was finalized today. Want me to have a word with him?"

Nobody touched his sister.

"No need. I clean up my own messes. And if anyone's making him pay, it's going to be me. Much more satisfying." She grinned.

Then she propped her chin on her hand. "Michael. Can I ask you for a favor?"

He caught the look on her face and laughed. "All right. What are we doing this time?"

"Nothing dramatic. I want to partner with the Bell Group on a hospital. That's it. Am I the villain here?" She rolled her eyes.

"Got it. My sister's on a mission. I'll make some calls." He was smiling, but his eyes went serious. Whatever had happened back then still had hold of her.

"Thank you. Go to bed." She blew him a kiss and hung up.

The second the call ended, she pulled up the proposal for tomorrow and started tightening it. Every line had to hold.

Later, Reid came in carrying the frame. He found her buried in work and knocked softly. "Ms. Griffin. See if this works."

She looked up at it—heavy glass, clean lines, DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE running across the top of the page. "Nicely done."

She carried it around the office, testing spots: somewhere visible, but not somewhere she'd have to look at it all day. Reid let out a breath.

"By the way. Mr. Ramos requested a meeting this afternoon. Security. Will you take it?"

"Why not? Trouble doesn't knock this politely very often. It'd be foolish to send it away." She tapped her fingers on the desk, smiling faintly.

"Wouldn't want that." Reid laughed, relieved to see the name not land on her, and went to set it up.

---

At three exactly, Diego walked into her office. He came in like a man with an agenda and found her tipped back in her chair, idly spinning the framed decree on her desk.

The words caught his eye and something in his expression flickered.

He didn't bother with pleasantries. His gaze went back to the frame as it rotated toward him again.

His composure slipped another notch. He pulled out a chair and sat down hard. "Ms. Griffin. I'm here about a security partnership. This is a preliminary contract."

He slid it across.

Audrey didn't touch it. "Mr. Ramos. What makes you so sure I'll agree?"

Diego leaned back, impatience flickering across his face. "I'm offering you real business. Are you actually going to pass?" He couldn't understand it. The contract would add more than ten million a year to SecureTech's revenue.

And that was the opening number. He'd done his homework on the firm. Their income was impressive, but nowhere near what Ramos Enterprises could unlock.

Audrey picked it up, barely glanced at it, and tossed it back across the desk. The pages slapped against his jacket. "You can show yourself out."

His eyes widened. "Don't be rash. Turning this down is a mistake."

Did he think this was charity?

"Mr. Ramos, if you think that little of my company, there's no reason to do business with it. And let's not hand Ms. Stone anything to misread. Tomorrow, at the bid, I hope you'll pay attention. I'd hate for you to miss it."

She hit the intercom. "Reid, please walk Mr. Ramos out."

"Audrey—" His voice dropped, cold. He was convinced she was being completely unreasonable.

"I'll be back," he said through his teeth, and walked out.

On the way to the car, Jason glanced at him. "It fell through?" He wasn't hiding his surprise. "Ten million, maybe more, and she turned it down flat?"

"Drop it." Even worrying about her had been a mistake.

"How's tomorrow looking?" Diego asked, rubbing his temple. He'd already moved on. He needed Jason to walk the plan again and make sure there were no holes.

"All set, Mr. Ramos. There aren't many people in Crestview who can go toe to toe with you. As for Ms. Griffin—" Jason shrugged. Her connection to the Bells wouldn't move the needle much.

"Take me out to the River Oaks house. How's Lila settling in?" The thought of her eased something in his shoulders. He'd bought the place for her—a compromise, since she wouldn't move into his.

"She's well. Spending time with a new friend, Yara Logan. I looked into her. Ordinary family, nothing concerning."

"Diego!" Lila met him at the door and wrapped both arms around him. "How did the meeting go?"

He'd mentioned his plan to bring SecureTech in.

Lila hadn't liked it. As far as she was concerned, the divorce should have severed everything. She couldn't stop wondering whether he was still caught on Audrey, and whether that was the real reason he kept finding business to conduct with her.

"It didn't take. There's no rush. I'll revise the terms and try again," Diego said as they moved into the living room. Security was not optional. Every executive agreed SecureTech had the best build for their needs, and their projects involved data that could not leak.

A shadow crossed Lila's face. She tightened her grip on his arm. Did he really have to keep going back to that woman?

"Diego, is SecureTech genuinely the only firm in the city? I understand if she doesn't want to work with you. I just hate watching you at her mercy," she said, eyes filling.

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it. Go enjoy your friends." He patted her head.

---

The next morning, Audrey was already dressed and working when the car came. Today was the day the whole thing became real.

"Reid, did you include the letters my brother sent with the bid package?" She was going through it line by line.

"All in there." He handed over the folder, tabbed and ordered.

"You've got this. Today's yours," he said. "Honestly, just thinking about watching Diego Ramos's team sit through it is enough to get me out of bed."

Audrey gave him a look. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Nothing's decided. Focus."

Reid chuckled and pulled out his phone. "Celebrations require planning. I'd hate to look unprepared. Or lose my bonus."

A few people passing by laughed.

"Does overconfidence run in the family, Ms. Griffin?" Marcus Vance took a seat nearby with Diego, looking her over.

Audrey caught his eye and went back to her notes.

"You know what, you people are—" Reid started, color rising.