She couldn't afford to waste any more time.
And she absolutely refused to waste another second of her youth on a man like Maxwell.
Maxwell knew perfectly well that the necklace was the only piece of leverage he had left to control her.
The moment he surrendered it, Lyra would walk out the door without a sliver of hesitation.
He lowered his gaze, rapidly calculating the odds in his head.
Was it worth it?
Forced to choose between corporate profit and a wife he supposedly didn't love, which scale would tip?
Sensing his hesitation, Lyra pushed harder. "There isn't a single person in that building who understands Silas better than I do. If you blow this opportunity, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."
It sounded like advice, but it was a razor-sharp threat.
The choice was entirely his.
And just as she predicted, the businessman made his calculation.
"The necklace is in the watch cabinet in my walk-in closet. Remember what you promised me."
A victorious smile graced Lyra's lips, though her voice remained flawlessly even.
"Done. You have my word."
She ended the call, opened her messaging app, and shot Silas a quick text.
*[It's handled. Your terms have been met.]*
Without waiting for a reply, Lyra hailed a cab straight back to the mansion.
Maxwell hadn't lied.
The heirloom really was in the watch cabinet inside his sprawling walk-in closet.
She had searched there before.

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