“I got this while murdering one of my grandmother’s killers,” I told them. “Clan Fyrlia wanted my money and they took Tommy to lure me away from protection. Tommy had no idea she was dating one of the Fyrlia royals. He drugged her, and she barely survived. I walked into their territory to save her—a place Kyros couldn’t follow without the deaths of his family—and was tortured and beaten. They strapped a bomb around my neck, put me in a ring with one of the Tonyi triplets, and we fought to the death. When he tore into my neck,” I dropped my hair to cover the scar again, “I managed to place the bomb from my neck in his jacket. He was blown to pieces, and I barely survived. I have permanent damage to my ears as a result of their torture.”

They listened intently. I couldn’t gauge their reaction.

“Iwillkill the other two triplets,” I told them, my face hardening. “Because they killed my grandmother. For what they did to Tommy. I’m telling you this because I’ve met the royals of both clans. I’ve met both kings. I wouldn’t pick either as an ally if I had another choice, but if I must choose a side, then King Julius wins every day of the week. When he discovered my betrayal against his clan, he could have killed me.”

Though it would have sent his son into a berserk rage, so maybe that wasn’t mercy, but I’d leave that out of this.

“What are you leading to?” Mr Hothen said, ice dripping from his words.

“I can’t win this game.” I’d dreaded saying the words to them, but they slipped from my mouth, followed by a wave of relief. “But Icanensure Fyrlia doesn’t win—with your help. My team has run the numbers. If I give Sundulus my local assets, I can restore balance in the game.” If the numbers were correct—a bigif.

Thatgot a reaction.

“You’re going tohelpthem win?” Lady Treena said, her face twisting.

I took the comment in my stride. Part of me had expected to be evicted by now. “I can restore balance, but I can’t trigger the end cascade against Fyrlia alone.” My exhale shook. “But you need to know that when I give everything I own in Bluff City to Sundulus, I won’t be able to recoup my position on the board ever. This is me telling you that our part in the game is ending whetherIngeniumcontinues or not.” There was one currency the vampires were richer in, and that was time.

“I wantIngeniumto end. I don’t want to waste my life playing it. So I’m asking for your help,” I told them. “Our part in the game is over, regardless, and we can’t win, but we can finish it for good. That power is in your hands. With your combined wealth, the result would be a certainty.”

Dame Burke snorted. “You want us to give our wealth and assets to the people who have made us live in daily fear. I pushed mychildrenaway, Basilia. I made them think I hated them and severed all ties with them. I’ve lost decades knowing them. You want me to hand the victory to half the monsters on a silver platter?”

I met her fiery gaze. “Yes. That’s what I am asking. When the game ends, so does their need to control humans to gain an edge. They’d have no reason to continue harming the citizens of this city.”

“Apart from feeding on us,” she said sarcastically.

They survived on blood donations, but I wasn’t about to tell the elite about that particular weakness.

I felt their unrelenting resistance. The others kept their own counsel, but I felt their animosity. If there was time, I’d leave things here for now.

But we didn’t have that luxury.

“You know that I love each of you. Each of you was an integral part of my childhood. I didn’t have parents, I didn’t have many friends, but because of your presence and my grandmother’s, I became what I am. So it’s with love that I tell you the following. I don’t wish to be apart from Kyros. What I do want is to end the game that took my grandmother’s life and has harmed so many others. I want to live a full life with Kyros, and that is not possible if Fyrlia wins. I’m asking the world of each of you. In reality, none of you owe me a thing. But I know you must be deathly worried for me. So believe me when I say that just as I found a home with the six of you and my grandmother, I’ve found another home in Clan Sundulus.”

Rising, I pushed the document case toward them. Inside were details of the assets of both clans and my estate. A list of conditions for the contracts between the oldies, myself, and Sundulus were also outlined.

I wasn’t just handing Sundulus the means to win without anything in return.

“In two days, I’ve chartered a private jet to take each of you out of the country. Fred will arrive to pick you up at ten in the morning. I don’t know how the final negotiations will go down, but I want you out of the firing zone.” I straightened my back. “If you wish to help me, I’ll need as many of your local assets signed to Julius Atagio before that plane leaves. If not, then leave with my understanding and my love. We have all playedIngenium. It brought you together—and there’s some beauty in that. That bond is immortal and greater than any game.”

I blinked rapidly, turning away, and whispered, “Goodbye.”

Shoving through the doors, I strode through the main house to where Fred would be waiting. Snapping out my phone, I scrolled down to the contact Pepperoni.

One ring.

“Miss Le Spyre,” a man answered. Tony headed my legal team.

“Tony. I’m gifting everything I own in Bluff City to a corporation.”

Silence met my comment. For a beat. “Understood.”

“One of my teams will send through all pertinent documents. There will not be a settlement, but I will send through a list of conditions to include in the contracts. Please ensure they are editable so I can add further conditions should I wish.”

My grandmother hired Tony for a reason, and that’s because he was the capable son of the lawyer who worked for her father.

“Who’s the beneficiary?” he asked, typing in the background.

“Julius Atagio,” I replied, spelling the name for him.