I leaned forward in my chair, unable to hide my curiosity. "Leopold, what did Isabelle say when she called you?"
Leopold folded his hands on the desk, his expression carefully neutral. "Miss Ashworth instructed me to prepare something for you. She was quite specific about the details."
"Something for me?" My mind raced with possibilities.
"An opportunity, Mr. Knight." Leopold reached into his briefcase and extracted a leather portfolio. "Miss Ashworth has arranged for a loan to be made available to you. Two billion, to be precise. Interest-free."
I felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of me. "Two billion? That's impossible."
Leopold slid the portfolio across the desk. "I assure you it's very possible when someone like Miss Ashworth makes the request."
My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the portfolio. Inside was a contract, the figures printed in clear, unmistakable numbers: $2,000,000,000.00.
