Days turned into weeks. Eleanor began calling Daniel in tears. “The board is pressuring us,” she confessed. “Mia’s firm is our last option.” Daniel didn’t know what to say. For years, his mother had held every lever. Now, none of them worked.
At work, colleagues whispered admiration. “You handled the Whitmore case cleanly,” one remarked. “Must’ve been a tough negotiation,” someone said. Mia smiled faintly. “Fair negotiation,” she corrected. The word hung there — fair — a concept her in-laws had never truly extended to her until now.