Chapter 2 - The Billionaire's TrapVance’s words hit me like physical blows, but I forced my expression to remain an absolute mask of chilling indifference. Years of boardroom warfare had taught me one golden rule: never let an opponent see your panic.
"Viktor," I said, my voice dropping an octave into a low, dangerous register as I stepped fully onto the threshold, blocking his view of Emily and the baby. "You must have taken a wrong turn on your way to federal penitentiary. Bellevue is a long way from your usual swamp."
Vance chuckled, though his eyes remained cold and calculating, darting past my shoulder to catch a glimpse of the interior. "Oh, I’m right where I need to be, Gavin. You see, while you've been distracted playing the heartbroken ex-husband, your lovely little ex-wife stumbled onto a rather interesting flash drive. A flash drive belonging to me. And I want it back."
From behind me, I heard Emily gasp. Her footsteps pattered softly on the hardwood floor as she stepped closer, clutching Noah tightly.
"I don't have your flash drive, Viktor!" Emily’s voice rang out, trembling but filled with fierce defiance. "You left it in the corporate portfolio binder when you tried to bribe me into leaking Rowan Tech's R&D files last year! I quit the moment I found it!"
My blood ran cold. Bribe her? R&D files?
Pieces of a puzzle I never knew existed suddenly slammed together. Six months ago, right before our divorce, Emily had suddenly become distant, working late, snapping at me, and finally demanding we end it all. I had blamed myself—my workaholism, my coldness, my obsession with beating Vance in the market.
I turned my head slightly, looking back at her. "Emily... what is he talking about?"
"I couldn't tell you, Gavin!" tears spilled over her lashes, hot and fast. "Vance threatened your life! He said if I went to the police or told you about the corporate espionage attempt, his men would make sure you never woke up from a 'tragic accident' on the highway! I divorced you to keep you alive!"
The breath left my lungs as if I’d been kicked in the chest by a horse. She hadn't left me because she stopped loving me. She had shattered her own heart, walking away into the cold alone while pregnant with my child, just to ensure I drew another breath.
I turned back to Viktor Vance. Any lingering shred of corporate civility vanished. The monster in front of me hadn't just tried to steal my company; he had stolen my marriage, my peace of mind, and the first nine months of my son's life.
"You threatened her," I whispered, the words barely audible over the wind, yet they made Vance’s smile falter.
May you like
"It's just business, Rowan," Vance sneered, taking a step forward. "And right now, you're standing in the way of—"
Before Vance could finish his sentence, my fist connected squarely with his jaw with the force of a freight train.
