The gentleness of my voice made it worse, because we both knew the truth. Ethan’s proud business empire, Apex Innovations, was not strong. It was a polished shell held together by money that had never belonged to him. Without my quiet rescue payments, his company would have collapsed years ago.
His phone rang. His mother. He looked at the screen, rejected the call, and blocked her.
That almost made me feel something.
“You’re insane,” he snapped. “You’re trying to destroy my family.”
I stepped closer.
“Last year, when you hired men to corner me on the street and scare me into signing early, did you think about destruction then?”
His eyes flickered.
“I knew more than you thought,” I said. “For five years, I gave you time. Patience. Chances you never earned. But I finally learned that some people don’t change because of kindness. They simply mistake it for permission.”
I turned to leave.
Behind me, he said, “You’ll regret this.”
I lifted one hand without looking back.
“There’s a bigger surprise waiting tomorrow.”