“They asked to put our oceanfront resort project on hold until this legal noise dies down.”

I looked down at the hot paper cup in my hands and felt the heat seep through the sleeve into my palms.

“What’s that resort contract worth to your practice?” I asked.

“Eight hundred thousand dollars in design fees,” Theo said quietly.

He flipped the tablet face down on the wooden slats of the table without looking at it again.

“Spencer figures that if he hurts my business, you’ll feel responsible and give in to their terms,” Theo said.