“He got one fast.”
“He did.”
“What do they want?”
“They want to return the money that can be traced directly to your joint savings.”
“All of it?”
“They propose returning eleven thousand six hundred dollars within ten business days.”
Ethan frowned.
“What happens to Samantha’s ten percent ownership?”
“They want her to surrender it.”
“Can she?”
“If she agrees.”
“Why would Dylan offer that?”
“Because legal disputes are expensive.”
“And because the business appears to be worth very little right now.”
Ethan almost laughed.
Of course.
The grand investment that had helped Samantha justify months of secrecy might be practically worthless.
“Does Samantha know?” he asked.
“Not from me yet.”
“Her own counsel should review anything before she signs.”
“Has she hired anyone?”
“I do not know.”
Ethan looked at the wedding ring on the nightstand through the open bedroom door.
“Laura, I do not want to destroy her.”
There was a brief silence.
“I know.”
“I am angry enough that part of me wants consequences immediately.”
“That is normal.”
“But I do not want to wake up six months from now and realize I used the legal system to humiliate someone I loved.”
“That is exactly why you hired counsel.”
Ethan swallowed.
“What should I do today?”
“Work if you can.”
“Eat.”
“Sleep.”
“Do not make a final decision because your family wants certainty.”
“And if you speak to Samantha, listen for whether she is taking responsibility or negotiating the size of the consequence.”
Ethan wrote that sentence down.
After the call, he showered and drove to his office.
Carter Risk Advisory occupied three rooms on the fourth floor of a converted brick warehouse.
Ethan had founded the company four years earlier with one laptop and two former colleagues.
Now it had nine employees and a handful of contractors.
The company advised mid-sized firms on internal fraud, vendor risk, compliance failures, and crisis response.
The irony was unbearable.
Ethan spent his professional life teaching organizations to notice hidden patterns.
At home, he had trusted love to be enough.
His operations manager, Maya Patel, looked up when he entered.
She studied him for half a second.
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Maya stood.
“Do you need me to cancel your day?”
“Yes.”
She did not ask why.
That was one reason Ethan trusted her.
She began moving meetings before he reached his office.
Ten minutes later, she knocked on the door with a coffee and a breakfast sandwich.
“You did not ask for this,” she said.
“I know.”
“You are eating it anyway.”
