The room fell silent at my question. Caleb's expression shifted from confident to uncertain, though he recovered quickly.
"This is business, Elara," he said smoothly. "I'm simply facilitating a beneficial arrangement for everyone involved."
"Except me," I replied, my voice level despite my rising anger. "You're trying to trade me like property."
Leo stepped forward, his professional demeanor returning. "Mrs. Sterling has already proven herself valuable to our team. We don't need to make any trades."
Caleb's smile turned cold. "You haven't even seen what Dr. Wilson can do. One consultation from that genius would be worth ten regular engineers."
I bit my tongue to keep from revealing my secret. The irony of being compared to myself wasn't lost on me.
"Dr. Wilson isn't some service you can offer up," I said carefully. "And I'm not a bargaining chip."
