Chapter 4

Less than an hour remained before formal closing.

Mia stopped pretending this was about fairness.

She projected my full name, private phone number, and home street onto the screen, then restarted her livestream.

“If Elena won’t apologize to the team, the public deserves to see how our Director of Business Development really operates.”

My phone began ringing almost immediately.

The first caller called me a whore. The second threatened to send the hotel photograph to every investor. The third claimed he was already outside my building.

Messages flooded the screen.

[How many investors did you sleep with?]

[Gold Coast isn’t far. Maybe someone should pay you a visit.]

Someone posted a photograph of my building entrance.

Mia watched the viewer count rise.

“Publishing my private information and encouraging harassment is a crime,” I said.

“I shared publicly available information about a corporate executive.” She smiled at the camera. “I can’t control how people react.”

The family attorney called.

Before I could answer, Mia snatched the phone from my hand and rejected the call. When it rang again, she slammed it against the marble bar.

The screen shattered and went black.

“Now you can’t ask one of your old men to fix this for you.”

I looked at the ruined phone.

“That line is connected to a private security network. Destroying it doesn’t silence the alert. It triggers one.”

Her smile faltered, but only for a second.

I turned to Adrian.

“You know I brought in Whitmore Capital and negotiated the strategic partnerships.”

“I know.”

“You know the story she’s telling with that hotel photograph is a lie.”

He hesitated.

“I know.”

The ballroom went silent.

“But this company can’t move forward while everyone believes you’re the one who made me successful,” Adrian continued.

That was the truth behind all of it.

He had wanted me beside him while I carried the risk. The credit and power were supposed to belong to him.

Mia pushed an electronic signature pad toward me. The withdrawal agreement had already been loaded onto the screen.

“Sign it, and I’ll end the livestream and remove your information.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then we’ll help you.”

The guards looked at Adrian.

He nodded.

They seized my arms and forced me against the table.

“Once you sign, this will be over,” Adrian said.

“Tell them to let me go.”

His gaze flicked toward the reporters gathering outside the glass doors.

“Don’t make this uglier than it already is.”

“I’m not the one holding someone down.”

“Then stop fighting and sign.”

Years ago, in our first unheated office, Adrian had promised that no one would ever force me to bow my head while he was there.

Now he watched his guards pin me down.

Mia grabbed my right hand and forced my thumb toward the screen.

Before she could press it against the signature pad, the ballroom doors crashed open.

A team of men in black suits swept into the room and moved straight toward the table.

Behind them, a man with silver at his temples stood in the doorway.

His gaze settled on the hands gripping my wrists.

“Take your hands off my daughter.”