Sora rang Tracy after she had spoken to her attorney.

"I have news."

"You're pregnant."

"What? No! No, no babies on board at present. That's not the news."

Tracy threw something aside that sounded like paper. "Remind me to stop reading our competitors' trash. We regularly dwarf their profits for a reason."

"I'll do that."

"What's happened? Is my brother scheming to steal my company from me again?"

"I wouldn't put it past him, but no—well, not exactly."

"If you'd like to try that again with more nouns and verbs and a complete idea..."

"Did I tell you about Anthony trying to reconcile with me late last year?"

"I heard rumors, but when you stayed in charge and he continued his relentless pursuit of Hana Gallegos, I presumed the grapevine was mistaken."

"They weren't. He tried it—twice."

"I'm positive you were still in love with him when I put you up for CEO. Love and hate can become indistinguishable, but I knew that much."

"It was after he nearly died on a skydiving trip. I told him not to go because I had this terrible feeling that he wouldn't make it back. I hated him and I loved him, and I didn't want him dead." She didn't even now. She wasn't built for hate that dark.

"He has that effect on women."

"He does. Anyway, he came back from his trip swearing he was a changed man, and he ended his relationship with Hana and rushed back to me. He swore that he was sorry, that he wanted to put our family back together for Tommy."

"He lied." Tracy's tone had become unreadable.

"He lied." Sora sniffed, for a second overcome by the sense of betrayal. She had loved him, then. That act had been the final proof that her love was no longer in any sense returned. "He gave me one night. He pretended make plans to move back in, to raise Tommy together. He made...he took me to bed. He let me think I could have it all back, but only if I signed papers relinquishing my 1.5% ownership in the company and granting him partial custody of Tommy."

There was a pregnant pause. Sora let it stand while Tracy composed herself. She felt embarrassed all over again. How could she be so blinded by love for him as she had been back then? All the years she had put into that relationship, she hadn't wanted it to be for nothing. She had needed it to be for something. She'd refused to see the light until she was pitched into it and left to scorch in its rays.

"He will never work in this company again. He is never to set foot in any building owned by Himura Media Group."

"I signed the papers, Tracy. I gave him everything, and it was only Hana stealing the papers from him that kept him from having it." Hana had suffered an attack of conscience and in sisterly love had gone against the man she sometimes swore she loved. Sora had known her all her life and she still did not understand the woman she called her big sister.

"She saved the day. Will wonders never cease?"

"I never doubted that she must have destroyed those papers. He hurt her, too, by dumping her to pretend to reunite with me. She was angry and she promised that she'd never hurt me again."

"His perfect lying match." Himuras were as adept at grudge-holding as they were at plotting. Gallegos and Himuras went together so well.

"He wants Himura and he wants Tommy and I don't know where to turn next."

"He's out of luck at Himura. The vote is binding. Hire a good attorney to force him to present the papers in a court of law, and then ram them down his throat. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the legal system, but I do know fraud. My brother acted in bad faith and had you sign under false pretenses. I don't want to Anthony in prison—Genny would never forgive me—but he has to pay. Make him pay, Sora. You have the power to do that as no one can. Remind him who's he messing with and why you of all people were worthy of becoming Sora Himura in the first place. You're one of us, time to show it."

"He'll bring the papers before the Board."

"He can bring them up before the Pope for all I care. Should the board members so much as breathe in support of kowtowing to him, they'll have me to contend with. He's opened us up to the mother of all lawsuits, which I will not take. The King may make peasants quake, but he will bow down to me."

Sora covered her mouth to stifle a hysterical giggle. She believed her. Tracy Katzumi Himura had no tolerance for bullies and no room for fools. Anthony would have his hands full with regrets if and when he crossed his sister.

"I don't have any control over what my brother does outside of this company. I can't force him to be a better significant other or father. All that said, I want you to know how sorry I am for dragging you into this. You could have taken a very large chunk of our family fortune and moved to Laguna and never seen hide nor hair of my Neanderthal brother again, if I hadn't drafted you into this." Tracy had taken advantage of the fallout from Anthony and Hana's affair to stage a hostile takeover of HMG. She at least had the conscience to be sorry for the collateral damage.

"I chose this fight," Sora reassured her. "I'm still fighting. This is what happens when I take a hit. I'm reeling; I'll reel and get my equilibrium back. Things have to settle. We can't go on this way."

"You have my support."

"Thank you."