Page 140 of Hard Knot

What…

The revelation hits me harder than expected. All this time, I thought I'd been hiding our decline successfully, protecting them from yet another of my failures.

But Carter knew.

He knew and was waiting for me to ask for help.

"We did the statistics months ago," Felix adds, his tone matter-of-fact but gentle. "Mapped out exactly what it would take to restore, if not rejuvenate, the empire's standing. But we didn't want to intrude."

A soft shuffling suggests he's adjusting his glasses — meaning he's choosing his next words carefully.

"A man's pride comes from the work and effort he puts into what keeps him alive, balanced, and thriving," he continues. "If we had interfered without being asked... it would have shown a lack of respect for his judgment. We couldn't give that impression, especially not to our Alpha."

The words settle in my chest like lead. All this time, they've had solutions ready, waiting only for me to swallow my pride and ask.

"So you decided to wait until he asked for help?" James clarifies.

"Yes," Carter confirms simply.

"And did he ever ask?"

"Nope," Felix says, popping the 'p' slightly.

James sighs, and I can picture him running a hand through his hair — a gesture I've noticed he makes when piecing together a puzzle.

"But what started this cascade?" he asks. "What triggered the downward spiral when the empire was at its peak?"

"Vivian." Felix's response is immediate and cold.

The name still sends a chill down my spine, even after all these years. Even in death, her shadow looms large over everything I've built — or rather, everything she helped destroy.

"She plotted his demise in all areas," James concludes, his voice hardening as he puts the pieces together.

Carter lets out a heavy sigh.

"She used every connection she had to essentially blacklist Holmes and his empire," he explains, the words coming out tired and bitter. "Made sure deals would fall through, partnerships would crumble, connections would drop away. No one wanted to risk dealing with someone who'd been marked by a Sinclair."

Marked in more ways than one.

The physical scar was just the most visible sign of her revenge. The real damage was done in board rooms and back-channel communications, in whispered rumors and carefully orchestrated "coincidences" that left my empire bleeding out slowly but surely.

The silence that follows is heavy with shared understanding. But then James speaks, his voice carrying an unexpected note of determination.

"Well, we'll change that tomorrow then."

The simple declaration hangs in the air like a challenge. There's no hesitation in his tone, no careful hedging or polite distance. Just pure conviction, as if reversing years of carefully orchestrated destruction is as simple as deciding to do so.

As if he truly believes we can undo what Vivian did.

"Just like that?" Carter asks, skepticism clear in his voice.

"Just like that," James confirms. "The Morrison Empire didn't get where it is by playing nice with others' prejudices. If people won't work with Holmes because of Vivian's blacklisting, they'll work with him because they can't affordnotto with me in the picture."

I feel Felix shift slightly.

"You'd put your empire's reputation on the line for this?" he asks carefully.

"For the pack? Yes." James's response is immediate. "Besides, it's not really a risk. Holmes's business acumen was never the problem. It was just Vivian's vendetta poisoning the well. Remove that poison..."

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