“You forced my hand.”
“No,” I said. “You hired the locksmith. That was your hand.”
A pause.
Then he laughed softly.
“You always did love sounding clever.”
Victor began recording.
Ronald continued. “I have something of yours. Something very sensitive.”
My throat tightened, but I kept my voice steady.
“Emilia’s file.”
Silence.
He hadn’t expected me to say her name.
Good.
“Yes,” he said eventually. “That file.”
“You will return it.”
“I will. After we settle a few misunderstandings.”
“What misunderstandings?”
“Your little company situation.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed.
Ronald’s voice became warmer, uglier. “I don’t want war, Lexi. I want fairness. You were my wife. You allowed me to make certain assumptions about our future.”
“You made those assumptions alone.”
“I invested five years.”
“You cheated for three of them.”
Sienna flinched.
Ronald ignored it. “I can be reasonable. A consulting agreement. Public confirmation that Cobb Meridian maintains a strategic relationship with Harrison Global. A modest liquidity arrangement.”
