Morning arrived gray and restless.
Anna barely slept. Oliver's words from the night before repeated in her mind.
Tomorrow, you'll hear everything.
But when she woke, Oliver was already gone.
No note.
No message.
Only the cold side of the bed and silence filling the room.
Her chest tightened with frustration.
By the time she reached the office, reporters were still outside. Cameras flashed. Questions were shouted. She ignored them all and walked inside without slowing down.
The moment she entered her office, her assistant rushed in.
"Ma'am… someone is waiting for you in the private lounge."
Anna frowned. "Who?"
The assistant hesitated.
"Mr. Ethan Mitchell."
Anna went still for a second.
Then she nodded once. "Send no one in."
Ethan stood by the window when she entered, hands in his pockets, perfectly calm.
He turned slowly and gave her a faint smile.
"You look tired."
"You look unwelcome," Anna replied.
His smile widened slightly.
"Still sharp."
Anna crossed her arms. "Say what you came to say."
Ethan studied her for a moment, then his expression shifted.
Less amused.
More serious.
"I came because Oliver won't tell you the truth."
Anna's jaw tightened. "And you will?"
"Yes."
She said nothing.
Ethan walked to the table and placed a thin file in front of her.
Anna didn't touch it.
"What is this?"
"Proof."
He stepped back.
"Ten years ago, my father's company was expanding fast. We were close to closing the biggest deal of our lives."
Anna's eyes stayed on him.
"Oliver's company approached us as partners," Ethan continued. "They wanted access to our networks, our suppliers, our investors."
"And?"
"And then the deal collapsed overnight."
His voice hardened.
"Funding was withdrawn. Clients disappeared. Contracts were canceled."
Anna looked at the file now, but still didn't open it.
"That happens in business," she said quietly.
Ethan laughed once, bitterly.
"Not like this."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Someone leaked false reports about our finances. Investors panicked. Banks cut us off."
Anna's heartbeat quickened.
"And you think Oliver did that."
"I know his company benefited."
A pause.
"My father lost everything," Ethan said. "The business. Our name. Our future."
His jaw clenched.
"He never recovered."
The pain in his voice sounded real.
Anna finally opened the file.
Inside were old reports, headlines, legal notices, photographs of a younger Ethan standing beside an older man outside a shuttered office building.
She turned another page.
Oliver's company name appeared repeatedly.
Her fingers tightened.
"Why now?" she asked quietly.
Ethan met her eyes.
"Because I spent ten years rebuilding what they destroyed."
Silence.
Then he added—
"And because I wanted Oliver to lose something too."
Anna's breath caught.
"This was revenge."
"It started that way."
The room felt colder.
"And now?" she asked.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
"Now it's personal."
Anna's expression hardened instantly.
"Don't."
He gave a faint smile. "Relax. I'm not here to flirt with a married woman."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
He stepped closer, but kept distance.
"I'm here because you deserve to know the man you married isn't innocent."
Anna stood straighter.
"And you think blackmail, leaks, and threats make you innocent?"
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
"I never sent threats."
Anna froze.
"What?"
"The messages aren't from me," he said calmly. "The leak wasn't my style either."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to notice something simple."
He nodded toward the file.
"I attack in public. Whoever is messaging you attacks from shadows."
The words unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Because part of it made sense.
Then the door opened sharply.
Oliver walked in.
His eyes moved from Ethan to the file in Anna's hands.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"I told you to stay away from her," Oliver said coldly.
Ethan straightened.
"And I told you truth always catches up."
Anna looked between them.
"Enough."
Both men went silent.
She held up the file.
"Is any of this true?"
Oliver's jaw tightened.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Parts of it."
Ethan smirked faintly.
Anna turned to Oliver, hurt flashing through her eyes.
"You said you'd tell me everything."
"I was going to."
"When?"
Before Oliver could answer, Anna's phone buzzed.
All three looked at it.
Unknown number.
She opened it slowly.
Ask Oliver what really happened to Ethan's father.
Anna's blood ran cold.
Oliver's expression changed instantly.
Not anger.
Fear.
And that terrified her more than anything else.