Marcus continued speaking to himself, his voice low and steady, the words tumbling out of him with the calculated precision of a man who had already rehearsed every step of his plan a hundred times over in the privacy of his own mind before ever daring to speak it aloud."Immediately," he murmured, his fingers tapping absently against the polished surface of his desk, "immediately I have done so. Immediately I will get the formula to those cosmetic products. Immediately I will get my hands on it, and once I have it, I will simply disappear from the picture entirely, leaving no trace of my involvement behind."He paused, his eyes narrowing as he considered the obstacles that still stood between him and everything he wanted."If Megan proves to be stubborn," he continued, his voice hardening with every syllable, "if Megan proves to be the kind of woman who refuses to listen to reason, who refuses to hear what I have to say and cooperate accordingly, then I will simply silence her. I will

She was happy, at the very least, that he had finally picked up.Without wasting another second, without allowing herself the luxury of easing into the conversation slowly, Megan launched immediately into the words she had been waiting to say ever since the day he had walked out of her grandfather's room without so much as a backward glance."Ethan," she said, her voice carrying a warmth that had been absent from her earlier frustration, "I am so glad you finally answered. I have been wanting to speak with you properly for some time now, because I never truly had the chance to thank you for everything you did."She continued quickly, afraid that if she paused for too long, he might find some polite way to end the call before she had finished."You saved me," she said. "You saved my grandfather, and because of what you did, everything went smoothly for us, seamlessly, more smoothly than I ever could have imagined given how dire the situation seemed at the time. I am incredibly grateful,

The moment those words left Victoria's mouth, Megan immediately rejected the suggestion, shaking her head with a firmness that left no room for negotiation."No," she said flatly. "Marcus is a bully. That is exactly what he is, and no matter how you try to dress it up or present it differently, I cannot shake the feeling that he had something to do with what happened to me. One way or another, I believe he is connected to that attack, even if I cannot prove it yet."Victoria's expression immediately shifted into one of exaggerated disbelief, her hands rising slightly as though physically pushing back against the accusation."No," she said quickly, shaking her head just as firmly as Megan had. "You should not be saying things like that, Megan. Marcus is a genuine person. He is a loving, caring individual who has never once shown any desire to see harm come to you. If anything, he has proven the exact opposite time and time again, hasn't he? He has shown up for you, checked on you, worri

Marcus's fury did not subside after Victoria's warning. If anything, it deepened, spreading through him like a slow poison that clouded every rational thought he might have otherwise entertained, until the only thing left in his mind was the burning image of that stranger's face, the man who had appeared out of nowhere and inserted himself into every corner of his carefully constructed world without so much as an apology or an explanation."That crazy bastard," Marcus said again, his voice lower this time, more dangerous, the kind of quiet that often preceded far greater outbursts. "What exactly does he want? What does he think he is going to accomplish by continuing to circle around everything that belongs to me, everyone that matters to me, as though he has some claim over all of it?"He turned sharply, pacing toward the window of his office, staring out at the city sprawling below him without truly seeing any of it, his mind entirely consumed by the question that had been gnawing at

In that moment, hearing exactly what Ethan had just said, the front desk attendant let out a sharp burst of laughter, the sound echoing across the lobby with a mocking edge that seemed almost designed to humiliate him in return, as though his accusation was so absurd that it did not even deserve a serious response."Pushed her?" she repeated, her voice climbing with disbelief, her hand pressed against her chest as though physically overwhelmed by the audacity of the claim. "You are seriously trying to tell me that I pushed her? Pushed her for what exactly? What reason would I possibly have to push an elderly woman standing at my own desk? Just keep your mouth shut, because I did not push her, not even slightly. Do not come in here trying to twist the narrative around, acting like some child pointing fingers just to make me look like the villain in all of this."She turned briefly toward the old woman, her expression shifting into something falsely sweet, condescending in its tone, the