Mel entered the command center a minute later, holding the tablet containing the Kratos legal filings. The room was dark save for the glow of the strategy screens and the intense, singular focus of Rhys Kallen, who remained seated at the head of the table. The shift in atmosphere was immediate and sickeningly familiar: the Lion had shed his lover's vulnerability and resumed his role as the absolute Judge.
"You wanted the Swap Ratio filings?" Melanie asked, her tone cool but laced with defensiveness. She sensed the trap.
Rhys didn't look up, his eyes fixed on a projected spreadsheet. "No, Melanie. I want an explanation for this number," he said, using the laser pointer to highlight the alarmingly low Debt-to-Equity Swap Ratio. "This is a $300 million undervaluation of the minor shareholders' conversion rights. It's technically legal, but it's the kind of move that triggers a federal ethics review and tears the heart out of a company's reputation. It's predatory."
He finally looked at her, his expression a devastating blend of accusation and pain. "This passed through your queue, Melanie. This is the exact kind of calculated corruption I hired you to veto. Explain how this number was generated, and why you let it stand."
Melanie walked to the screen, her composure cracking under the weight of his doubt. "I scanned the aggregation report. The full diligence was in order, and the legal team stamped the file. I prioritized the antitrust filings, which were the actual risk, and signed off on the routine legal metrics."
"Routine?" Rhys's voice hardened, mirroring the old, cold discipline she thought they had conquered.
"Since when does the conscience of Kallen Capital treat a $300 million predatory maneuver as 'routine'? Did you simply assume my legal team was clean because you were busy playing family savior? Or worse, did you look at this, understand the advantage, and decide you're now entitled to play my old game?"
The accusation landed like a physical blow. It wasn't just about the data; it was about his fear that she had been corrupted by the power he granted her. He was testing her absolute fidelity to the ethical code she represented.
"You think I'm lying?" Melanie stepped back, suddenly realizing the chasm that had opened between them. "I fought Vasko, Chen, and Quinn to defend integrity! I returned to this company after a family crisis to defend my mandate from a political predator! And you think I would sacrifice my entire professional identity for a minor gain in an acquisition?"
"I don't know what to think!" Rhys slammed his hand on the table. "I only know the numbers. You preach absolute honesty, and yet, the numbers reflect a compromise I thought you were incapable of making! You are either grossly negligent, or you are compromised. Which is it?"
Melanie's eyes flashed with anger, her love momentarily eclipsed by betrayal. She realized this wasn't just a professional query; it was the manifestation of Rhys's deepest fear, that trusting anyone, even her, meant certain weakness.
"It is neither," she declared, her voice cold with resolve. "I trust my team, but I trust my integrity more. I am pulling the full legal audit. I will find the source of this data, and I will find out exactly who placed this predatory number in my queue. If this is a mistake, someone is fired. If it is an intentional act..."
She looked directly at Rhys, her gaze holding both promise and warning. "...then the terms of our new contract are already being tested. You will trust my word that I am clean, and I will spend the next twenty-four hours proving that your doubt is misplaced. Do you trust me, Rhys? Or was the commitment we made yesterday just another strategy?"
Rhys looked at the number, then back at her fiercely defensive, honest eyes. He couldn't reconcile the two.