Trading My Ex for His Uncle

"Damon, I'm sorry, but I don't have another choice," Nyla apologized.

"What do you mean you don't have a choice? You didn't even ask or discuss it with me-you just decided to leave on your own. You didn't think about how I'd feel at all. How could you be so selfish?" Damon demanded.

Nyla stared at him, shocked, her eyes welling with tears. "Would it have mattered if I asked you? You can barely handle Drake, let alone fight against the Nixons!"

Damon let out a bitter laugh, his hands falling from her shoulders as he took a step back. "So... it's my fault. If I weren't so useless, I'd be able to protect you and Buddy."

Seeing the pain in his expression, Nyla reached out to him. "Damon, that's not what I meant-"

He pulled his hand away, his voice cold. "It doesn't matter what you meant. The result is the same-you and Buddy go to Meristate, and I stay here. If you had already made your decision, why did we even get married?"

Nyla took a deep breath, meeting his eyes. "I won't take Buddy to Meristate."

Damon stared at her in disbelief. "You're abandoning Buddy too now?"

"How could I abandon you and Buddy?" she said, frowning. "But right now, the only way to protect both of you is for me to leave with Emerald."

"It's not the only way, Nyla! You're giving up before it's even the final moment," Damon protested.

"Damon, stop saying things just to sound noble. Yes, it's not the last moment yet, but we both know how this will end if I don't agree to her terms. Prospectus Technology will go bankrupt, and Buddy and I will be forced to leave.

"At least this way, I can protect you and Buddy. You can stay here and keep building Prospectus Technology. We'll have a chance to be together again," Nyla countered.

Damon let out another bitter laugh. "When? A month? A year? Ten years?"

"However long it takes, there will be

a day when we reunite. She isn't taking me to Meristate to let me inherit the Nixons. I'm sure she's just using me as a shield to pave the for her children," Nyla reasoned.

"Then why will you go if you know that?" Damon retorted.

"Damon, it doesn't matter whether I agree or not I have to go. The onlynoveldrama

difference is whether I go willingly or under duress.

"I negotiated with her today, and she

agreed to provide Prospectus Technology with resources. You

need to use those to grow

Prospectus Technology and expand it to the point that even the Nixons have to take notice. Then we'll have the power to negotiate with them," Nyla coaxed.

At present, they didn't even have the right to sit at the table.

Damon closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his emotions were gone, replaced by a steely calm. "I'm not comfortable with you going to Meristate alone."

"You don't need to worry about that. If she wants to use me as a shield, she'll make sure I'm safe-for now at least. As long as I keep myself useful, she won't let anything happen to me. Once I'm there, I'll figure out more about the Nixons' internal power dynamics, Nyla reassured.

If Emerald could use her, she could also use Emerald's status to learn who in the family could be allies or threats.

What Emerald wanted was for Nyla to pave the way for her children, while what Nyla wanted was to be with Damon and Mason.

"Nyla... I'm sorry. If I weren't so powerless, you wouldn't have to do this," Damon said again.

Nyla shook her head. "Even if you weren't here, she'd still come for me. But now, with you and Buddy, I'm stronger. I'll work hard, and we'll have our day together again."