His desperation was palpable, and Aryyah understood why: he'd just attempted to murder Jackson, which meant he needed to secure his position with Aryyah before Jackson's death triggered inheritance and made her realize she didn't need Cletus at all.

"I need a few more weeks," Aryyah stalled. "The company is in a critical period with the K.As alliance; adding personal changes right now would be destabilizing."

"A few more weeks and something else will come up," Cletus said, his voice hardening. ...