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Genevieve speaks before Christian can.

"No," she says. "You won't." Her gaze sweeps the room, cool and exacting. "The legacy clause is perfectly clear in both purpose and execution. Conrad had it drafted to protect the future of his line from the possible stupidity of those who came before." Her eyes flick briefly to Everett, then to me. "My brother made many mistakes in his lifetime. We agreed on very little, least of all the distance he kept between himself and his children. But this?" She rests one hand lightly on the folder in front of Preston. "This was the wisest thing he ever put in writing."

Every eye in the room shifts to her.

"The legacy clause is binding," she says. "It is valid, enforceable, and controlling. My brother was many things, but imprecise in matters of inheritance was never one of them." Her expression cools another degree. "The clause sticks."

Christian slides one final document across the table.

"I've already drafted the reinstatement resolution," he says. "Everett's inheritance is restored effective immediately. His governance rights revert in full. The prior remedy is null. You may sign it now." He lets the words sit for one beat. "Or I can enjoy dismantling the board in court while the press learns that Conrad Kauffman's own trustees attempted to sever his unborn direct heir from the family line."

Everly smirks. "That wouldn't be a great PR look for the board of trustees, now would it."

Preston's jaw works once, then she reaches for a pen. She knows when she's been beat, but I have a feeling that we've only won this round.

One by one, the signatures go down.

And under the table, Everett turns his hand and threads his fingers through mine.

Do not cry in this boardroom. Do NOT.

Christian gathers the signed pages into a neat stack. He glances over at Everett with a satisfied grin.

"It's done."

For one second, nobody says anything.

The inheritance is back. The trust cannot touch our child. And whatever Everett gave up to protect the rest of us, he just got it back.

Levi pushes back from the table so abruptly, his chair scratching against the floor as if to make a point.

"Well," he says, grinning now with absolutely no restraint, "that was deeply satisfying."

Colston mutters, "About damn time."

The hallway outside the boardroom turns into chaos almost immediately as we all shuffle out of the conference room as quickly as we can, before the board can think of some way out of this.

Hugs, handshakes, Colston clapping Everett on the back hard enough to make him stumble half a step.

Levi kisses my temple and says quietly, "Welcome to the family business."

Zayne crouches in front of my stomach, points at it, and says, "You are already my favorite Kauffman."

"Zayne," Everly snaps.

"What?" He straightens. "I support new talent. And don't get jealous just because you're not going to be the baby Kauffman anymore."

Christian steps past all of us with the signed documents tucked under one arm. "If any of you breathe near my filing order, I will personally rewrite the will."

Levi grins. "Good luck with that. Turns out dad seems to be able to do that from the grave."

I stand there in the middle of all of them, Everett's hand still at my back, and I don't feel like the outsider who wandered into a dynasty and accidentally got in over her head.

I feel like I belong here.

Not because of the clause or the baby, but because these people love each other in messy, badly communicated, terrifyingly loyal ways, and somewhere along the line they decided I was one of theirs.

Everly loops her arm through mine and leans close.