Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 296

"I'll need my lawyers to review it," Harrison replied. "But the direction is acceptable."

"There is one clause missing."

"What is it?"

Clara put her pen down and met his gaze.

"Wren Whitaker."

The air in the conference room thinned for a second before growing heavy again.

Harrison didn't flinch.

Clara continued, "I am not demanding you stop having feelings for her. Contracts can't dictate the human heart. However, I demand that you never allow this issue to jeopardize our partnership, nor will I ever clean up the mess of your past romances in any public setting."

Harrison remained silent for a moment.

"You have my word."

Clara didn't smile. "I don't operate on trust."

Harrison nodded. "Then put it in writing."

Only then did she pick up her pen, adding a single line to the blank space on the page.

'Neither party shall compromise the reputation or material interests of the partner due to unresolved personal sentiments.'

Her handwriting was sharp, cutting through the paper like a blade.

Watching her write, Harrison suddenly asked, "Do you feel this is unfair?"

"What is unfair?"

"Entering into an engagement with me, knowing full well I have someone else in my heart."

Clara capped her pen, her voice entirely indifferent. "Harrison, I'm not here looking for love."

It was a brutally sobering statement.

Yet Harrison didn't feel any lighter hearing it.

He looked at her, noticing for the first time a very faint trace of exhaustion clinging to her.

When a person lived their entire life at the negotiation table, even their fatigue felt like a calculated expense.

He lowered his voice. "At the very least, within this arrangement, I will never humiliate you."

Clara looked up.

Harrison added, "That doesn't need to be in the contract. I will ensure it."

She studied him for a few seconds before a faint smile touched her lips.

"Verbal promises hold very little value with me, Mr. Xander."

"I know."

"But I'll keep it on record for now."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon finalizing the Stellaris cooperation framework.

The Thorne Estate trust would issue a formal letter within three days, confirming their role in the independent financial oversight of the patient data ethics module. The Xander Medical Foundation would provide third-party evaluation support. All external communications would focus strictly on patient rights, completely omitting any mention of Wren's marriage.

By the time they finished, the sky had darkened.

Clara walked Harrison to the elevators.

Before the doors could open, her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, her expression instantly freezing.

"My father."

Harrison didn't pry.

Clara answered, her voice as calm as ever. "Dad."

Whatever was said on the other end caused a layer of frost to settle in her eyes.

"Harrison and I are not ready to announce anything to the public yet."

A few seconds of silence followed.

"If my uncle believes I shouldn't be managing the trust projects, he can bring it up at the board meeting. Leaking rumors to the press like this is just pathetic."

Standing beside her, Harrison only caught fragments, but it was enough to understand the situation.

Someone within the Thorne family was trying to force the engagement into the public eye prematurely.

If the media caught wind of the impending alliance, every move Clara made within the trust would be dismissed as merely paving the way for her dowry.

When she hung up, her face was a mask of sheer indifference.

"What do you need me to do?" Harrison asked.

Clara slipped her phone back into her bag. "Nothing."

The elevator doors pinged open.

Harrison stood by the curb, watching the Thorne family car merge into the flowing traffic.

In the twilight, the city lights flickered to life one by one.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant.

"Release The Thorne Estate trust cooperation letter tonight. Immediately."

His assistant was caught off guard. "That urgent?"

"Yes." Harrison stared out into the distance. "Someone is trying to hijack the narrative. We need to put the real story out there first."

After hanging up, he opened the Stellaris project group chat.

Wren had just sent the final draft of the symposium's opening remarks.

There was no excessive emotion, just one crystal-clear declaration.

'We are not here to speak on behalf of the patients; we are here to ensure that when a patient says no, both the system and the humans know how to stop.'

Reading that sentence, the familiar, bitter ache of the past surfaced in Harrison's chest.

He was still deeply moved by her brilliance.

He couldn't deny it.

But he was also far more self-aware now. He knew that if he truly cared for her, he couldn't allow his lingering affection to become yet another burden she had to carry.

He exited the chat and sent a message to Clara.

"The cooperation letter goes out tonight. As for the engagement, we'll wait until both legal teams have reviewed the terms."

Clara replied instantly.

"Received."

A few seconds later, another text arrived.

"Thank you."

Just two words.

But coming from Clara Thorne, it was an exceptionally personal admission.

Harrison smiled to himself.

Perhaps this ruthless partnership wouldn't be as cold as he had imagined.