Chapter 5 - The Desperate VisitorThe private elevator dinged softly as it reached the penthouse floor. The doors slid open to reveal Ethan Cole, disheveled, his suit jacket rumpled, his expensive tie loosened in a way that screamed desperation.

Flanking him was Camille Rhodes, who looked terrified, clutching a thick manila folder against her chest like a shield.

“You don’t invite yourself into my home, Cole,” Roman said, stepping into the foyer, his posture rigid and menacing. He didn't raise his voice, but the sheer atmospheric pressure in the room plummeted.

Ethan didn't look at Roman. His eyes darted directly to Maya, who stood by the kitchen island, her expression cold and guarded.

“Maya, you have to help me,” Ethan blurted out, taking a frantic step forward.

Roman’s hand shot out, grabbing Ethan by the lapel of his rumpled suit and lifting him an inch off the floor with casual, terrifying strength. Ethan choked out a gasp, his hands clawing helplessly at Roman’s wrists.

“Choose your next words very carefully, Ethan,” Roman whispered, his face inches from the other man’s.

“Stop, Roman,” Maya said quietly.

Roman held him for another second, assessing the threat, before dropping Ethan back onto the marble floor with a sharp thud. Ethan stumbled, coughing, straightening his jacket with trembling hands.

“They’re auditing us,” Ethan gasped, looking frantically between Maya and Roman. “The municipal board... the investors... someone leaked the financial records of the Horizon Spire project to the federal task force. If those audits go through, my company is seized by morning. Bankruptcy. Prison. Everything I built... gone.”

Maya stared at him, bewildered. “What does that have to do with me?”

Camille stepped forward, her hands shaking as she held out the manila folder. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“It wasn't just Ethan’s company, Maya,” Camille said, tears spilling over her lashes. “It was mine, too. And Ethan didn't just mismanage funds... he framed you three years ago. He stole your initial design blueprints for the Horizon Spire, signed his name to them, and told the board you leaked company secrets so he could fire you legally.”

The room went deathly silent.

Maya’s breath caught in her throat. The exact memory of that terrible day three years ago rushed back—the accusations, the humiliation, the feeling of utter helplessness.

She looked at Ethan. The man she had once trusted, the man who had tried to crush her soul.

“You knew?” Maya whispered, looking at Camille.

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“I found out tonight,” Camille sobbed, opening the folder to reveal signed bank transfers and forged signatures bearing Ethan’s handwriting. “And when I tried to leave him in the ballroom... he threatened to destroy my family’s estate, too. Maya, you’re the only person who can stop the investigation. If you tell the federal prosecutor that you and Ethan settled this privately three years ago... they’ll drop the inquiry.”

Ethan looked at Maya with pathetic, pleading eyes. “Please, Maya. We built that studio together once. Have mercy.”