Chapter 3
"Do you even understand how much damage this system failure is causing the company? This is not the time for you to throw a fit! I'm giving you one last chance; get over here right now!"
I held the phone slightly away, waiting for him to finish shouting. Then, in an utterly calm voice, I said, "Ryan, let's break up."
On the other end, silence returned. After several seconds, he let out a laugh, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke. "Break up? Sienna, you're the one talking about breaking up with me?"
He added, "Who do you think you are? You think you can survive without me? Everything you eat, wear, and use, I gave you all of it. That pathetic job of yours doesn't even cover your bills."
He snapped, "I'm warning you; don't push your luck. If you dare to walk away from this today, it's over between us for good." With that, he hung up the phone harshly.
I stared at the darkened phone screen and gave a faint, bitter smile.
Yeah, to him, I was nothing more than a vine living off him; something that would wither and die the moment it was cut away from his support.
I tossed my phone aside and started packing up my stuff.
There wasn't much to pack, really. The things in this house that truly belonged to me were painfully few.
A few pieces of clothing, a laptop, and a portable hard drive containing all my work and effort. I stuffed them into a suitcase.
As I dragged the suitcase to the door, I turned back and looked at the place I had lived in for five years.
I had once treated this place as home. Now, it felt nothing more than a gilded cage. I felt no attachment at all, and I turned and walked away.
Downstairs, a black Bentley was waiting at the curb. The window slid down, and a distinguished-looking middle-aged man appeared.
"Ms. Mills," the man said, his voice calm and polite.
I walked over, opened the door, and slipped inside. "Thanks for helping me out, Byron," I said quietly.
Byron was my college computer science professor and one of the top cybersecurity experts in the country. He was also the only person who knew my secret identity as "Reaper".
"Don't be silly, you don't need to thank me," Byron said, his voice gentle.
He watched me, clearly feeling bad for me. "Everything taken care of?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah," I replied.
"Good. There are plenty of options out there; no need to waste your energy on a jerk like him," Byron said gently.
Byron started the car. "So, what are you planning to do now?" he asked, concern in his voice.
I stared out the window at the city flashing by, my eyes growing colder with every passing second. "Byron, is that Chief Technology Officer position at Evergreen Group you mentioned still available?"
Byron paused for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Oh, it's definitely still open! Their CEO has practically worn a path to my door trying to get you on board," he said with a chuckle.
"So, you've finally made up your mind?" he asked.
I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. "I've made up my mind. Some people, some things; sooner or later, there's a price to pay."
The next day, news of Sutton Group's total system meltdown dominated the financial headlines. The stock price nosedived, erasing billions in market value in just one day.
Ryan and his father, George, got absolutely roasted by the board of directors.
Ryan called me a million times, but I didn't pick up a single one. Then he started flooding my phone with desperate texts.
[Sienna, I messed up. Please come back. I'll do anything for you; just tell me what you want.]
[I don't care about that car anymore; I'll give it back right now! Please, don't be angry with me.]
[Seven years, Sienna. Can you really just throw it all away like it was nothing to you?]
[Sienna, where the hell are you? Get your ass out here right now!]
Looking at those messages, all I felt was amusement; it was just laughable to me. Even now, he still believed that if he just acted soft for a second, I'd come crawling back to him like nothing ever happened.
I blocked his number, and finally, the world was quiet again.
That afternoon, I was in a meeting with Rowan Nunez, the CEO of Evergreen Group. Suddenly, my phone started buzzing continuously.
It was an unknown number. I frowned and declined the call, but the caller just wouldn't give up; they kept calling over and over again.
Rowan gestured for me to take the call. With a sigh, I picked up.
As soon as I answered, Ryan's furious roar came through the line. "Sienna! You bitch! What the hell did you do to me?"
I pulled the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker. "Ryan, can you just calm down and talk like a normal person?"
"Calm down? You think I can talk to you right now?" Ryan's voice was practically unhinged.
"Did you seriously sell off all our client info? You are a corporate mole! I'm right outside your crappy apartment! Get your ass out, or I'll burn this dump to the ground!"
Before I could say anything, Rowan frowned. He spoke into the phone, his voice icy. "Sir, slander and intimidation both carry legal consequences."
Ryan was stunned on the other end. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Sienna's lawyer," Rowan replied, not missing a beat.
Rowan didn't even flinch as he made it up on the spot. "My client is officially letting you know she reserves the right to take legal action against you."