Chapter 3

It wasn't anger or sadness, just a kind of mocking pity, like I almost felt sorry for them.

"Vice President," I said, watching his brow twitch at the title. "Did you forget who's really in charge here?

"I'm still the owner and majority shareholder of this company.

"Do I need to check with you before entering my own office?"

Ivan's expression finally shifted.

He never expected me to be so direct, so unforgiving.

In his and Rhett's little script, I was supposed to be a wreck right now, completely at their mercy.

"Malachi, you..." Ivan stepped forward, trying to throw his weight around.

I ignored him and pushed the door open hard, not giving him a second glance.

The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

I walked in and swung the door shut behind me.

But Ivan slammed his hand against the door, the nice-guy act dropping in an instant. Now his face was all shadows and threat.

"Malachi, don't mistake my patience for weakness," he said. "Rhett's already spelled it out. You're finished. Still pretending you have a shot. What's the point?

"Just hand over what you should, and we can all walk away with our dignity."

He fixed me with a venomous glare, eyes cold and sharp as a snake about to strike.

"Otherwise, I've got plenty of ways to make sure you never work in this business again, just like..." Ivan let the threat hang.

He paused, but I knew exactly what he was getting at.

Just like he ruined me last time.

I stared him down for three long seconds.

Then I nodded.

"You're right," I said.

Ivan blinked, clearly not expecting me to play along.

I didn't even look at him again. I turned and headed straight for the plain old bookshelf in the corner of the office.

It was solid wood, heavy as hell. Rhett and I had found it at a flea market back when we were just starting out.

She said it meant "solid roots."

How ironic.

I reached out and, behind a thick hardcover of Company Law on the third shelf, one nobody ever bothered to touch, I felt something cold and hard.

Ivan was still standing by the door, keeping a close eye on me.

The other employees started gathering around, peeking in, both curious and tense.

I pulled out the book, and right behind it, pressed up against the back panel, was a small magnetic key box.

I pried it off the shelf.

It was a small, silver-gray metal box, dust clinging to its surface.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ivan snapped, his suspicion flaring as he rushed in, trying to snatch it from me.

But I'd already closed my fist around it.

It was cold and hard, biting into my palm.

But that pain jolted me awake, sharper than ever.

I turned to face him, and right in front of him and all his little spies, I slowly unfurled my fingers.

Resting in my palm was a brass key with a unique shape, catching the light with a cold glint.

"The safe key," I said.

My voice was loud enough for everyone outside to hear.

"The one in the hidden compartment in my study at home," I said.

Ivan's face went ghostly pale in an instant.

It was like he'd just taken a punch to the gut; all the color drained from his face, his lips trembling.

Of course, he knew about that safe.

Rhett had mentioned it a few times, saying it was the most important spot in the house, where she kept "just some useless old junk." But she never let him touch it, and there was only one key. She always kept it to herself.

He thought it was just some of Rhett's personal items, maybe a bit of worthless jewelry.

But what he didn't realize was that inside lay the last ace I'd kept for myself, and for them.

"How... how do you have that key?" Ivan's voice cracked with panic. "That's Rhett's. Give it back."

He lunged at me, desperate to snatch it away.

I stepped back, easily dodging his wild hands, then clenched the key tight and slipped it into my pocket.

"Give it back? To you?" I said.

I looked at his face, twisted with panic, and let a slow, mocking smile spread across my lips.

"Why should I?" I said, calm and unbothered. "This is my property. Heirlooms from my parents, from before I ever got married.

"Every single thing in there, every scrap, every document, None of it belongs to you or Rhett. Not a cent."

I stepped in, closing the distance, and spoke in a voice only he could hear, word by word.

"Ivan, you think you and Rhett have won?" My voice was cold and steady. "This is just the beginning."

With that, I shoved past his frozen body and strode out of the office, out of this den of betrayal and scheming, leaving behind a room full of shocked, confused, and suspicious stares.

Behind me, Ivan's furious roar rang out, followed by the sound of something being smashed.

I didn't look back.

The sunlight was a bit harsh, so I squinted and clenched the key in my pocket.

That cold, metallic feeling was the first gateway to my revenge.