He extended his hand, that smug look never leaving his face. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Roy, Henry’s current brother-in-law and Shannon’s current husband.”
For a moment, the world tilted. Shannon, my ex-wife. Roy’s hand hovered in the air, then dropped when I refused to shake it.
“There’s no surveillance here,” he continued smoothly. “I’m the only witness. So, on behalf of Henry, thank you for the wonderful wedding gift. How about we discuss this over a drink?”
He paused, eyes narrowing. “If you really want the prime apartment, Henry’s not fit to keep it anyway. You hurt Shannon deeply back then and your ‘compensation’ was pathetic. So here’s my offer: pay fourteen million dollars and we’ll transfer the property back to you. Secure location, notarized, your choice.”
He smiled faintly. “You’ve made your fortune, haven’t you? Consider it… an apology for the past.”
No wonder I divorced Shannon. Her family was a mirror of her, shameless, filthy to the core. How the hell did Roy end up as the sales manager and Shannon’s husband?
People like them were easy to read and easier to expose. I fixed them with a cold look, unlocked my phone and dialed the police right in front of their faces.
Henry’s smile froze. He leaned in, eyes hard as steel. “You really going to call them?” he scoffed. “Do that and you’ll be paying over a hundred million. Guess I’ll have to leave this to my sister.”
He shouted toward the door, voice dangerous, “Shannon!”
The door opened and a voice I knew too well slid into the room. Shannon stepped in, a hand curled around my phone. “Jerome,” she said, amusement curling at the edges of her words.
“So you’ve learned to call the police.” Her gaze cut to me, cold and precise. “Don’t forget, half your assets are mine. I hear you’re worth over a billion now. I won’t be greedy. Seven hundred million and I’ll sign whatever you want.”
“If you refuse, I’ll post every dirty secret online. Let’s see how you earn another cent. And you’ll pay me seven hundred million, every month. Half your profits must be transferred to my account, on time, from now on.”
“Shannon,” I said, voice hollow, “you haven’t changed, shameless to the end.” I looked at her face, once familiar, now a picture of everything I despised. “You know the truth better than anyone.”