If Alexander hadn't interfered, she would never have gotten the upper hand in negotiations with him. He would have cornered her long ago.

Ironically, she almost owed him gratitude.

Amy reclined on the sofa, eyes closed, as if none of this concerned her.

Alexander's gaze shifted to Isabella.

Isabella stepped forward, bending at the waist in a formal, deep apology.

"Ms. Sinclair, I apologize."

Amy remained silent, unmoving. Nathan seemed indifferent, but Isabella stayed frozen in her humiliating bow, trembling, her face burning with shame.

Amy smirked inwardly. This much distress over a simple apology? Anyone watching would think she'd been forced to beg for something far worse.

Alexander clearly didn’t expect a response from her. His voice was cool as he cut in. "Enough. Let’s move past this."

Isabella bit her lip, mortified.

Nathan rolled his eyes and slumped back onto the sofa.

Alexander turned to Amy. "Since we're all here, let’s discuss business."

"Business?" Victoria, distracted by the scene, was caught off guard. "What business?"

Alexander's tone was measured. "You've been searching for Celeste, haven’t you? Well, you’ve found her."

Victoria answered automatically, "I know you tracked Celeste down, but what does that have to do with Ms. Sinclair—"

She stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she turned to Amy.

"Wait… you mean she’s Celeste?"

Nathan stared at Amy, stunned.

Amy finally opened her eyes. Her expression was calm, almost indifferent. "I can compose a piece for Ms. Langley, but it won’t be under the name Celeste. As for the studio, you can have it for ten million. Flat price. Non-negotiable. Mr. Blackwood, you know that’s always been my rate."

Nathan recovered quickly, disbelief turning to protest. "Without Celeste’s name, there are plenty of renowned composers out there. Why would we hire you?"

Amy’s gaze was icy. "That’s a question for Mr. Blackwood, not me."

Nathan wanted to argue, but Alexander’s earlier warning silenced him.

He muttered under his breath, "Alexander, we wanted Celeste for Victoria’s reputation. Without that, it doesn’t matter who we hire."

He shot Amy a sidelong glance, barely hiding his disdain. "A nobody like Amy Sinclair won’t do anything for Victoria’s career."

Nathan, now thinking clearly, had struck the heart of the matter in just a few words.

Alexander’s dark eyes lingered on Amy, unreadable.

"Amy, you know exactly why I sought out Celeste."

She met his gaze. "I do. You want Celeste’s name—the public recognition. But you’re a businessman, Mr. Blackwood. Reputation is worth more than money. Some things can be spun for publicity, others can’t. Even if you offered me a hundred million, I wouldn’t agree."

Nathan bristled. "If you’re not interested, why bother showing up at all?"

Amy’s voice was cool. "Perhaps you should ask Mr. Blackwood what he’s done to the people around me for Victoria’s sake."

Nathan and Victoria exchanged uneasy glances, suddenly recalling the recent trouble with Benjamin.

Nathan remembered laughing at the news, saying karma had finally caught up with Amy. Now he realized—it had been Alexander pulling the strings all along, targeting Benjamin.