Chapter 8: Harbor

Monica's POV

The mediator's office was on the ninth floor of a glass building.

There was a bowl of green mints on the table.

Dalton arrived with his lawyer and without a single objection.

He sat across from me, and for the first ten minutes he only said yes.

"The patent assignments," the mediator read. "All eleven revert to Ms. Aldridge, effective immediately."

"Yes," Dalton said.

"The company's license rate is set by her."

"Yes."

"Her name returns to the Harbor City laboratory and to the Chicago headquarters."

"Yes."

"And a settlement figure."

"Name it," Dalton said.

His lawyer leaned over and whispered something urgent.

Dalton waved him off.

I put a mint in my mouth so I wouldn't say anything stupid.

"I don't want a settlement figure," I said. "I want the license. I've already earned the rest."

"Understood."

"Why are you agreeing to everything?"

"Because it's yours."

"You've never agreed to a thing in your life without a counter."

"I know," he said. "I'm out of counters."

The mediator coughed.

"There is one condition on Mr. Aldridge's side," she said. "He's asked that the dissolution wait ninety days."

I turned to look at him.

"Ninety days."

"There's a trust provision," Dalton said. "If I'm unmarried before the board's annual vote, they can remove me as chief executive."

He turned his pen over.

"I'd lose control of the company in a single meeting."

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