Chapter 5

William stood frozen like a statue.

His assistant was screaming through the speaker, but William’s hands were trembling so violently he couldn't even speak.

"Impossible... I wiped all the digital footprints..."

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with madness and pure, unadulterated hatred.

"You! Ann, you set me up!"

He lunged at me again. Arthur stepped in, delivering a brutal kick straight to William’s stomach.

William stumbled back and fell hard onto the snow-covered driveway, looking utterly pathetic.

"You embezzled the money yourself, William. Don't blame me for your own greed," I said, walking up to him and looking down at his miserable state.

"When you threw me to your business partner in our past life, did you ever stop to think about this day?"

William’s pupils dilated. The remaining color drained from his face.

"You... you really did come back..."

Suddenly, he started laughing. It was a manic, hysterical laugh that brought tears to his eyes.

"Fine. Great. Just you wait, Ann. This isn't over."

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled away into the dark, leaving his buzzing phone on the ground.

I picked it up. The screen was lit up with a text from Grace on SnapChat.

[William, the doctor said without a transplant, I’ll never see again. I’m so scared.]

[Please don't blame Ann. It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have been in your life.]

I stared at the screen, took a screenshot of the text, and tossed the phone into the trash can.

Arthur walked over, draping his wool coat over my shoulders.

"Are you cold? Let’s go inside."

I shook my head, pulling out my own phone to text my PR director.

"Release the files on William's embezzlement and his arrest warrant for filing a false police report. Make it trend."

Within ten minutes, the internet exploded.

TechFounderEmbezzlement trends.

WilliamThompsonHarassesEx trends.

I scrolled through the comments on Ins, watching the internet turn on him, calling him the ultimate trash. I couldn't help but smirk.

The next morning, my dad called me, his voice tight with anxiety.

"Ann, look at the stock market. William just hosted a live stream. He’s claiming I forced him to embezzle the funds, and he’s showing fake wire transfers to our family accounts!"

My heart sank. I checked the market. Our family company's stock was tanking, dropping fast.

Another hashtag was trending: DavidMartinezEmbezzlement.

Arthur frowned beside me, pulling out his phone to make some calls, but I stopped him.

"Don't worry. I was waiting for him to make this move."

I opened William’s live stream on YouTube. He was dressed in a sleek suit, looking perfectly remorseful, crying to the camera.

"I was young and stupid. David Martinez coerced me into doing it. All the money went into their offshore accounts. I am willing to cooperate with the feds. I just want to do the right thing."

Grace was sitting next to him, her eyes bandaged, bowing slightly to the camera in a frail voice.

"I know people might not believe us, but William is a good man. He was forced. Please don't hate him."

Watching their little performance, I sneered and made a quick call to our legal contact at the SEC.

After hanging up, I waved a flash drive in front of Arthur.

"This contains the real paper trail of William and Grace moving the funds to their own accounts, along with audio recordings of them planning to drain my family's company six months ago."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, a proud smile playing on his lips as he ruffled my hair.

"You’re always three steps ahead, aren't you?"

I smiled back. But before I could speak, the front doorbell rang.

I opened it to find two federal agents standing there, badges in hand.

"Ann Martinez? We’re with the SEC. We have a warrant to bring you in for questioning regarding your father’s alleged financial fraud."