Revenge amnesia upgraded to his brother (Norah and Lucien) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Norah’s POV

Constantine Group headquarters. Top–floor boardroom.

10

Finished

Outside the window, the Paris sky was a sheet of lead. Inside, the air conditioning blasted, leaving the air brittle and cold.

I walked in, the sharp clickof my heels the only sound in the cavernous room. This was the nerve center of a financial empire.

Lucien sat alone at the far end of the long table. He didn’t look up, his head bent over a document, a pen in his hand.

I walked straight to the seat directly opposite him and sat down.

“I’m honored,” I said, placing my bag on the table. My voice was soft, but it cut through the silence. “That a man as busy as Mr. Constantine has time for the head of a… what was it? A ‘high–risk venture‘ like mine.”

He finished signing the last line. Capped his pen. Only then did he slowly lift his head.

Those gray–blue eyes I once lost myself in held nothing now. Just cold assessment.

He slid a file across the polished table. The Cappe family’s latest proposal.

I only needed one glance to see the new, crucial clauses:

Constantine Group to Jointly Develop with Nightingale.

Norah Hawthorne to Serve as Core Creative Lead with Full Authority.

“How did you manage this?” he asked. His tone gave away nothing.

I smiled, tapping a finger lightly on the table. “It seems you’ve forgotten, Mr. Constantine. In this world, besides money and power, there’s another kind of currency.” I let the pause hang. “It’s called being a woman.”

Especially a pregnant one.

A shadow passed behind his eyes, quick and dark. Then it was gone, his face smoothing back to impassive stone.

“You think cozying up to one woman lets you take food from my plate?” He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. The pose was relaxed, but the dominance in it was a physical weight

1/3

21:01 Fri, Jan 9

Chapter 191

110

Finished

in the room. “For the collaboration, I’ll let you have a title. A figurehead. The profit…” He looked at me as if conferring a great favor. “…one percent. That’s my final offer.”

“One percent?” I laughed. A real, startled laugh that echoed in the sterile room.

Lucien’s brow furrowed.

“Lucien,” I said, the laughter dying as I leaned forward, pinning him with my gaze. “You still don’t get it. I’m not here begging for crumbs.”

“That project needs my brand. It needs the warmthI create. Without it, the Cappe family’s interest in your cold, efficient shipping lanes will vanish. And all that money you poured in to salvage this deal?” I shook my head slowly. “Wasted. Again.”

I pulled my tablet from my bag, turned it on, and slid it toward him.

“Nightingale’s market penetration. User engagement analytics for high–net–worth women in North America. My personal social media influence metrics.” I gestured at the screen. “My brand’s aesthetic has a ninety–two percent overlap with the Cappe resorts‘ target clientele.”

I stood up, placing my palms flat on the table, leaning into his space. “I’m not a variable in your equation, Lucien. I’m the indispensable asset.”

I spelled it out, clear and slow. “I want seventy percent of the collaboration profit. And complete creative control–design, production, promotion. All of it. That’s the deal.”

The room went utterly silent.

He just looked at me. In those bottomless eyes, I saw anger. Resentment. And a flicker, just a flicker, of… respect.

A long moment passed. Then, he smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile.

“Did Mateo teach you to play this game?” He picked up his pen, twirling it idly. “Do you

think I wouldn’t dare to burn your brand to the ground? Make you worthless to the Cappes overnight?”

Another threat. I was so tired of his threats.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I walked around the long table until I was standing beside his chair. He watched me, unmoving.

Then I leaned down, planting my hands on the arms of his chair, caging him in. We were close. So close I could smell his cedarwood scent, see the suppressed storm in his eyes.

“Lucien Constantine,” I said, my voice a low, clear warning. “Listen to me. You make one more move against my work, and I promise you, it won’t just be Nightingale that burns.”

2/3

21:01 Fri, Jan 9

Chapter 191

110

Finished

“I will use every resource, every connection, every bit of cunning I have. I will target the weakest, most vital points in your operations. You take one brand from me, and I will the

gut annual profits of at least one of your core divisions. I will make it hurt.”

I leaned in closer, my breath ghosting over his lips. “Go ahead. Try me.”

“See if I’m bluffing.”

The silence stretched, thick and electric. We stared at each other, two predators in a standoff, neither willing to blink first.

I don’t know how long it lasted. Then, he let out a low, rough chuckle. It held fatigue. And something that sounded like… pride.

“Well done, Norah.” He picked up the pen, crossed out the “70%” on the draft, and wrote a new number beside it.

55%.

“This is the offer,” he said, looking up. All emotion was gone from his face, leaving only the cool calculus of a businessman.

“Take it. Or…”

He let the word hang.

“We go to war. But this time,” he added, his gaze locking with mine, unwavering, “I will treat you as a real opponent.”

“Not as a woman.”

652

B

3/3