The silence that followed stretched for an eternity. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked loudly, marking the seconds of their indecision.
Edward blinked, rubbing his face with a shaking hand. "Dereck? You want to marry Dereck?"
"He has the name," Annette repeated. "And he won't cheat on me at my own engagement party. He can't even walk to a mistress."
"Annie," Lucas whispered, touching her arm. "He's... unwell. Seriously unwell. You'd be a nurse, not a wife."
Annette squeezed Lucas's hand. "I know what I'm doing, Luke. Trust me."
Bernadine realized the danger immediately. If Dereck married an Adams, he would have backing. Powerful backing. "It's impossible," she argued, her voice shrill. "Dereck is unfit for public life. He can't attend galas. He can't campaign. He's useless to the family image."
"I don't need him for public life. I need the alliance," Annette countered. "I can handle the public. I can handle the image."
Edward looked at Bernadine, then at the shattered glass, then at Hank. He saw the ruin of his plans in Hank's weak face. He saw salvation in Annette's cold offer.
"If I marry Dereck," Annette said, stepping closer to the desk, "I want the primary Family Trust transferred to him. Immediately."
"What?!" Hank screamed. "That's my trust! That's my inheritance!"
"It was yours," Edward snapped at him. "Before you threw it away for a quick lay."
"And full voting rights in Bolton Industries," Annette demanded.
Bernadine turned pale. "You're giving power to a ghost. To a man who is practically dead."
Annette kept her face neutral. She was counting on that perception. She wanted them to think she was grabbing power through a puppet. "Dereck won't use them," she said dismissively. "He's too sick, right? So I will manage his interests. As his wife."
Edward weighed the options. Ruin vs. Dereck. Bankruptcy vs. A puppet marriage.
"Done," Edward said gruffly.
"Dad!" Hank looked at his father in betrayal. "You can't do this!"
"You made your bed, Hank," Edward said coldly. "Now sleep in it. Alone."
Lucas was stunned. He looked at his sister with new eyes. This wasn't the romantic girl he knew. This was a strategist. "We need the papers drawn up," he said, recovering his lawyer composure. "Tonight."
Annette smiled at Bernadine. It was a sharp, dangerous smile. "Looks like we're still family, Bernie."
Bernadine's eyes burned with hatred. She gripped the back of the chair until her knuckles were white. She had spent years sidelining Dereck, waiting for him to die. Now, in one night, this girl had brought him back into the center of power.
"Does Dereck get a say?" Lucas asked, the voice of reason.
"I'll handle him," Edward said dismissively. "He lives under my roof. He does what I say."
Annette nodded. "I'll handle him," she thought. She imagined the pale, frail man from her memories. The one who supposedly died of an overdose a year from now in her past life. I'll keep him comfortable, she told herself. It's a mercy.
"Get the papers," Annette said to the lawyer. "And Edward... go get the groom."
