Chapter 3

By the time Paul showed up, I had just walked out of the doctor's office.

The doctor said Oliver's condition was stabilizing. If everything kept improving, he could be discharged soon.

For the first time in a while, I felt like I could finally breathe.

Then I looked up and saw Paul.

He stood there with that half-smile I knew too well and held out a bank card.

"There's 100 grand here," he said. "Take it and stop. There's no need to make this uglier than it already is. What do you gain by pushing me into a corner like this?"

I pushed the card back toward him.

"You made me take the fall. You ruined my reputation and left me drowning in mortgage payments with no way to keep up. My husband needed money to stay alive, and you wouldn't give me a cent. So don't blame me for what I do next.

"I'm only doing this so I can survive.

"Paul, I gave you seven years. That's not something you buy back with 100 grand. I want two million. Not a dollar less."

His expression darkened, like he hadn't expected me to push back this hard.

"Fine," he said coldly. "We'll see how this ends."

He turned and walked off. I didn't even bother watching him go.

The retaliation came fast.

Early the next morning, the police showed up and took me away right from the hospital.

"Selene Jensen, you've been reported for defamation. You'll need to come with us."

I had already asked my mother-in-law to stay with Oliver so he wouldn't worry.

When the police arrived, I stayed calm and went with them.

The second we stepped out of the hospital, reporters swarmed in from every direction.

"Mrs. Jensen, you accused Mr. Cunningham's company of charity fraud, and now you've been detained. How do you feel about that?"

"When you exposed the harassment case involving that female employee, did you even get her consent?"

"You call yourself righteous, but aren't you just another person violating someone's privacy?"

I just smiled.

"Eight hours are up," I said calmly. "There's another drop coming. I hope Mr. Cunningham hired enough people this time to save himself."

The crowd surged forward instantly.

"What is it? Can you tell us anything?"

"What is it about?"

I stopped, turned toward the cameras, and met their eyes.

"It's a piece of evidence that will ruin Paul completely and leave him with nothing," I said, my voice steady.

Then I smiled and got into the police car.

At the station, they didn't interrogate me much. They just had me confirm that I was the one who made the posts.

I provided the supporting evidence.

Not long after, two lawyers showed up, claiming to represent Paul's company, Unity Holdings.

"Ms. Jensen, we're filing a lawsuit against you for defamation and extortion."

I let out a quiet laugh.

"If it were fabricated, sure, you could sue me," I said, "but facts aren't defamation. And don't call this extortion. That's completely made up. This is money Paul owes me, my severance, and the dividends from my original shares. It's been seven years, and I still haven't seen a cent. I'm just asking for what's mine. Since when is that illegal?

"You're lawyers. You should know better. Take a look at this shareholder agreement. Tell me if you see a problem."

The moment they read it, their expressions changed.

I smiled.

"Go tell Paul he has three minutes," I said. "After that, the next drop goes live."

They turned and immediately called him.

Through the phone, I could hear him shouting.

"Tell her to keep dreaming! That agreement is fake! I don't believe she can do anything. Take her down!"

I let out a quiet sigh.

If that was his answer, then there was nothing left to say.

Three minutes later, a 24-page PDF hit the internet.

Unity Holdings shot straight to the top of the trending list.

When Paul saw it, he collapsed back into his chair.