When the agreed time came, we would divorce.
I'd take my settlement, he'd go on being the CEO of Gilbert Group, and neither of us would owe the other a thing. I'd even had a lawyer draw up the divorce papers, just waiting for the right moment to hand them to him.
But the trouble came too suddenly, and I had no time to prepare for any of it.
Before my father died, he'd sunk a huge stake into a parcel of land. He'd planned to develop it, but the policy changed overnight. The land was reclassified as idle property, and the billions he'd poured in were frozen solid. In less than three months, Henson Group couldn't hold on any longer and declared bankruptcy liquidation.
And just like that, overnight, I went from the Henson heiress who commanded a room to a debt-ridden orphan owing billions.
I learned exactly how cold the world could turn.
The partners who used to circle around me every single day all changed their numbers in the space of a night. The people coming to collect debts nearly wore through the threshold of the Henson offices. Even the distant relatives I'd once helped would take a different route when they saw me, terrified I might ask to borrow money.
I scrolled through my contacts, from the very first name to the very last.
Not one person was willing to lend me a cent.
And just when I'd given up completely……
Max Gilbert appeared.
That day I was in the office, sorting through what files were left. Outside the window the rain came down hard, thunder rolling and rolling. Then I heard a knock at the office door.
I thought it was another debt collector. Without lifting my head, I said “Come in.”
I was about to ask for a little more time when a familiar low voice came from the doorway.
“Miss Henson.”
My head snapped up, and there was Max Gilbert standing in the doorway. His suit was spotted with rain, the ends of his hair damp. He held a dark blue folder in his hand, looking straight at me.
I froze, and it took me a long moment to come back to myself.
“Why are you here? Weren't you in Chicago for the summit?”
He didn't answer. He just walked straight over, set the folder on my desk, and pushed it in front of me.
I looked at that dark blue folder, the words “Henson Group Capital Restructuring Agreement” printed across the cover, and my mind went blank.
“What is this?” I looked up at him, my voice unsteady.
Max watched me, his eyes dark and deep, holding something I couldn't read.
“A capital injection. I ran the numbers. Eight billion is enough to get Henson back on its feet, clear all the debts, and leave enough to restart the project.”
My mind went white.
Eight billion?
Had he lost his mind?
Henson was a wreck right now. Anyone who came in would lose money. Throw eight billion into it and there was no guarantee it would even make a sound.
Had he gone stupid?
What had set him off?
I stared at him, my lips trembling a long while before I could speak. “Max, do you understand what you're doing? Eight billion is no small number. Gilbert's doing well now, but pulling eight billion in cash all at once isn't a small thing either. You don't need to do this for me……”
“It isn't for you.” He cut me off and took a step closer.
I could catch the faint scent of cedar on him, the same one he'd worn all these years of our marriage.
He looked at me, my reflection in his black eyes, and said each word clearly. “Five years ago, you gave Gilbert half a billion and helped my family hold on to everything we had. Now Henson's in trouble. It's my turn.”
“But we……” I opened my mouth, then picked up the divorce papers I'd drawn up long ago and held them out to him.
“We were a deal from the start. The deal's over now. You don't need to……”
