Audrey's POV:

I straightened my shoulders and walked toward their table,refusing to show any emotion.

Victoria's smug smile quickly transformed into an overly enthusiastic expression as I took the seat across from them.

"Audrey,darling!" Victoria reached across the table as if to touch my hand.her voice dripping with fake warmth.

"It's been far too long! You look absolutely marvelous. We've missed you terribly at the gallery."

I deliberately placed my purse between us, creating a barrier, and pulled my hands back slightly.

Victoria's expression froze for a split second, her artificial smile faltering at my rejection.

I completely ignored her, turning directly to David. "Why are you here?You didn't just come to chat, did you? We're not exactly close."

David cleared his throat, adjusting hs tie as he prepared to speak.

"You are as direct as ever. Fine. Let's get down to business."

He leaned back slightly in his chair. "I want to apologize for...certain actions that made it difficult for you to continue in London's art scene.That was unfortundte."

He glanced at Victoria and gave her a subtle nod.

Victoria forced a tight smile. "Yes, I'm sorry things escalated the way they did, Audrey. I never thought of driving you away."

David spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

"What's done is done. The damage has already been caused on both sides.There's no point in continuing this mutually destructive path."

He leaned forward, his voice softening. "We want to restart our collaboration. Tell us what you need to make this work. Whatever your demands are, we'll try our best to accommodate them."

I couldn't help the cold laugh that escaped my lips.

"What I want?" I asked, my voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath. "I want you to publicly acknowledge Victoria's plagiarism and return the Liora identity to me. That's what I want."

Victoria's face darkened immediately, her lips pressing into a thin line as she glanced frantically at David.

David winced, running a hand through his hair.

"Audrey, be reasonable. I can offer you better terms instead. But what you're asking for... that's the one thing I can't give you."

"Then don't sit here making grand promises you can't keep," I shot back. "If you can't give me back what's rightfully mine, then we have nothing to discuss."

David's professional facade cracked slightly. His jaw tightened,voice dropping to an irritated hiss.

"What exactly is the point of this standoff, Audrey? What do you gain

from this stubbornness?" His eyes narrowed. "Have you even painted anything in the last year? Or are you too busy playing nanny to some rich kid now?"

I smiled coldly. "At least the child knows how to create his own original artwork. Unlike some people who only know how to copy and paste."

Victoria's face flushed with anger. "How dare you-"

"Save it." I cut her off with a dismissive wave. "I didn't come here to argue.I'm terminating our contract."

David's jaw literally dropped. "Terminate? Are you insane? The contract has a two-million-dollar termination clause!"

I replied calmly. "And I'm prepared to pay it. I'd rather spend every cent I have than continue this association with people like you and situations like this."

Victoria's eyes widened with shock. "Where did you get that kind of money?"

"I wasn't aware I needed to report my finances to you," I shot back.

Victoria couldn't hide the jealousy on her face as she muttered, 'Who knows which old man's bed you crawled into."

David's expression shifted subtly. "Do you think two million can get rid of us?"

He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of documents."

Take a look at these."

I felt my heart sink as he slid the massive document across the table.I

reluctantly flipped it open and began scanning the first page, my irritation growing with each line.

By the third page, I was fighting back incredulous laughter.

They had added a zero to the termination fee, bringing it to a staggering 20million dollars.

"Seriously?" I looked up at David, unable to hide my disbelief. "Twenty million? I didn't expect myself to be so valuable."

David adjusted his cufflinks, looking satisfied with my reaction.

"This figure was determined by our professional legal team after a thorough assessment. It includes compensation for the gallery's substantial losses over the past two years due to your refusal to provide new works."

He pointed to a section in the document. "There's also the matter of brand dilution, contractual non-performance, and potential future earnings we've been deprived of."

"This is absurd," I said,pushing the papers away.

"It's business," David countered smoothly. "You chose to breach our agreement by withholding your work. Actions have consequences,Audrey."

I was about to respond when a familiar deep voice came from behind me.

"Really? How come I've never heard of such an unfair term before?"

Caspar's cool, authoritative tone cut through the tension like a knife."Perhaps you should discuss this with my attorneys instead."

I turned to see Caspar standing there, impeccably dressed in a tailored charcoal suit.

David's face paled slightly. "And you are...?"

"Caspar Thornton." He stepped forward, not offering his hand. "I'll be Ms.Lane's new professional partner moving forward. Any legal matters can be directed to the Thornton Group's legal department."

The effect was immediate.

Both David and Victoria froze, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock as the implications of "Thornton Group" registered.

Victoria's mouth actually fell open slightly before she caught herself.

David's demeanor transformed instantly.

"Mr. Thornton," He managed, forcing a smile as he turned back to me."Audrey,you never mentioned... I mean, this is quite a surprise."

He laughed nervously. "Perhaps we've been hasty. I'm sure we can work something out that's more... reasonable."

I was just as surprised as David to see Caspar standing there.

Without saying a word, he had positioned himself directly behind my chair.

His stance was unmistakable. Every inch of his body language communicated that he was there to back me up.

David's eyes kept flicking nervously between me and Caspar,clearly thrown off by this unexpected power shift.

I turned back to David. "I don't think that's necessary. I've made my position clear."

Without another word, I turned away from the table.

Caspar smoothly stepped aside, allowing me to lead our exit while he followed closely behind.