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“I have an appointment with Ezra,” I say flatly, the reminder tasting bad on my tongue.

“Ah.” She checks something on her computer. “Right. They’re set up in Room B.”

“Perfect.” I flash her a playful roll of my eyes. “Wish me luck.”

“Go get ’em, killer.”

I wait until I’m out of sight down the hallway before I reach behind me to run my fingers through my ponytail, not wanting a hair out of place before I face my nemesis.

Can we really say that if you’re constantly having sex with him?

I shake the thought away as I straighten my blouse just outside the door to the conference room. I take a deep breath as I reach for the door handle, giving myself a silent pep talk to ensure that Idon’tlet Ezra get to me, that I don’t succumb to the verbal fishing lures he uses to try to reel me in to a fight. Especially since I’m almost certain he considers fucking with me foreplay to, well,actuallyfucking me.

Ezra is already slung in one of the large leather conference chairs like some sort of king—having turned it away from the table and leaned back into it so he can let his legs spread wide in front of him. I allow myself three seconds to take this in and then make a mindful decision to focus on the paralegal who’s sittingacross from him instead. I give the other man a polite nod, making sure to greet himbeforeEzra just because it gives me a tiny tremor of satisfaction to do so.

“Good morning, Dani.”

I cut my eyes to the other side of the table, suppressing a small shiver at Ezra’s mention of my name. Why do two syllables out of his mouth make my stomach erupt in butterflies? My name on his tongue always feels like more than an address. It feels like a promise toundress. It’s irritating as hell.

“Morning,” I answer curtly. “Is anyone else joining us?”

“Just us three. Unless you wanted it to just be the two of us? I’m sure I can send Kevin here on an errand if you’d rather—”

“Us three is perfectly fine.” I settle into a chair three spaces away, opening my briefcase. “I’ve brought all the necessary financial paperwork for disclosure. We’re excluding Mrs. Casiraghi’s trust fund as previously agreed; we’re only including assets gained between them during the course of their marriage.” I glance up at Ezra then, finding him smiling at me infuriatingly. “You wanted to discuss the possibility of a settlement?”

“Ah. Right. Mr. Casiraghi hates the idea of dragging his wife—”

“Soon-to-be-ex-wife,” I correct.

Ezra’s grin widens, and my stomach does thatthingagain that I hate. “Right. Sorry, he hates the thought of putting her through such a public trial unnecessarily and is prepared to settle to avoid the whole thing if she’s agreeable to it.”

I have to force my eyes to remain steady, holding back a preemptive eye roll.

This should be good.

“And what is Mr. Casiraghi prepared to offer for this settlement?”

“He’s prepared to let their home here in Austin go to Mrs. Casiraghi, ten percent of the business’s current net worth, as well as a five percent share in the company for any future assets.”

I read once that the human brain registers four seconds of silence as rejection, so I make sure to count to a full five before I give Ezra an answer. “I think I can safely say that my client will not be accepting that offer, since it’s, to be frank, a bullshit offer. Seriously, Ezra. Didn’t I tell you to keep the bullshit to a minimum?”

“I think it’s more than fair,” Ezra answers coolly. “Considering there’s a prenup in place.”

“One that would be rendered null and void per the infidelity clause.”

“You haven’t produced any evidence to prove that those claims aren’t entirely circumstantial.”

“Well, unless it’s hisspiritual advisorthat’s been sending him all of those emails…”

Another grin for my trouble. “You always seem to be beating around the bush, Dani.”

“Like to beatsomething,” I mutter under my breath. I look him in the eye when I speak to him again. “I will have to check with my client, but don’t hold your breath on that offer.” I let my lips curl. “Or do. It makes no difference to me.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Ezra says, his voice still aggravatingly upbeat. He reaches a hand across the table without even looking at his paralegal, Kevin, waiting until the man in question deposits a thick binder. “In that case, all I can offer you today are Mr. Casiraghi’s financial disclosure documents. My client was afraid you might react that way to his very generous—and unnecessary, I might add—offer, and in the case that you and your client might not want to accept, he regrets to inform you that he will have todisagree to Mrs. Casiraghi’s proposed terms to leave her trust out of the combined assets.”

I blink at him stupidly, caught off guard for a second. “Excuse me?”

“Mr. Casiraghi has helped manage her trust for the entirety of their marriage to the benefit of his wife. It has seen rapid growth because of his investments. My client feels that ifyourclient insists on dragging him through a very lengthy and unnecessary bout in court, as well as attempting to besmirch his good name, thenallassets between the two of them should be on the table.”