“Why not now?” Clare asked. Daniel hesitated—just long enough to register. “I’ve been talking to potential investors,” he said carefully. “This kind of investigation doesn’t look good. Even if you’re cleared. Especially if you’re cleared after denying ingestion.” Her stomach tightened. “They don’t like uncertainty,” he went on. “They don’t like instability.”
The word sat between them. “So what are you saying?” she asked. “I’m saying this ends cleanly if you let it,” Daniel replied. “You say you took it. You didn’t realize what it was. It was a mistake. No hearings. No footage. No one else gets dragged into it.” Dragged. Clare pulled her hand back. “You want me to lie,” she said.