He looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“It better be. I don’t have time for your games, Zara.”
I smiled at him, cool and unreadable.
“You really have no idea, Ethan.”
In the weeks that followed, Chloe began gathering records—notes, messages, dates, details. At the same time, I quietly reached out to a few of Ethan’s former clients, the ones who had once hinted they felt misled or pressured. I listened carefully. I kept copies where I was allowed to keep copies. I learned more than Ethan would have wanted anyone to know.
Then one day, everything shifted.
I was in my office reviewing contracts when my phone rang. Chloe was sobbing so hard I could barely make out the words.
“Please, Zara. He found out about the lawyer. He’s furious. He’s saying terrible things. I don’t know what to do.”
I stood up so fast my chair rolled backward into the credenza.
“Listen to me. Leave now. Go somewhere safe. Go to your sister’s place. I’ll handle the rest.”
She was crying too hard to say much more, but she agreed.
I grabbed my keys and headed for Ethan’s office downtown, my mind moving faster than traffic on the expressway. By the time I walked into his suite without knocking, I knew exactly what I was there to say.
He looked up from his desk, face tightening the second he saw me.
“What are you doing here, Zara?”