Chapter2

"Yes, sir!" Knowing better than to speak out of turn, the Head of Legal scrambled for his phone and hurried out to make the call.

For a moment, Davis and I were the only ones left in the conference room. The silence that settled between us was thick with unspoken implications. After a beat, Davis carefully chose his words, his tone softening. "Chloe, rest assured. We are going to get to the bottom of this."

I nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Davis. I trust the firm will do the right thing."

Deep down, I knew the truth. Even without my father having to lift a finger, the mere mention of the designation "FS-0257" was enough to ensure Vanguard’s headquarters wouldn't dare sweep this under the rug. If Liam wanted to play the game of weaponizing his wealth, I was more than ready to see if this arrogant Manhattan heir could truly blot out the sun.

Clearly, someone had tipped them off. Before the Chief Technology Officer could even arrive, the conference room door was shoved open.

"It's just a name swap on a project roster. Did we really need to drag you into this, Mr. Davis? The compliance department has way too much time on their hands." Liam’s arrogant drawl drifted in from the hallway a second before he swaggered into the room. Serena trailed right behind him, decked out in a fresh-off-the-runway Chanel haute couture suit. Her eyes were rimmed with red, playing the part of the tragically wronged victim to relentless perfection.

The moment her gaze landed on me, Serena bit her lower lip, pitching her voice into a fragile, pleading register. "Chloe, I know you resent me because Liam and I are together now. But I really need this co-founder title to build my network at the Chamber of Commerce... Can't you just let me have this? One favor? Liam already said that if you sign a voluntary transfer agreement, he’ll wire two million dollars directly from his private trust into your account. That’s enough money to set you up for the rest of your life."

"She's right." Liam slid a possessive, smug arm around Serena’s waist, looking down his nose at me. Then, he tilted his chin, shooting a casual brow-raise at the senior executive. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Davis. Perfect timing. You can be our witness today, just so Chloe doesn't try to back out and cry foul later."

Even now, Liam was completely oblivious to the sheer gravity of the situation. To him, I was nothing more than a nobody—just some working-class coder pulling all-nighters in a cramped New York apartment share. He genuinely believed that throwing two million dollars at me would leave me dizzy with gratitude. He had no earthly idea that forging documents to illegally alter the beneficiary of the firm’s Class F Special Shares was the equivalent of pulling the pin on a thermonuclear grenade.

Davis’s face darkened like a thundercloud. He clearly hadn't anticipated that this real estate trust-fund kid could be quite so brazen, openly attempting corporate extortion and a criminal cover-up right in front of a Senior Partner. He slammed his expensive fountain pen onto the mahogany table.

"Liam! Forgery and illicit tunneling of assets are federal felonies under securities law! Do you seriously think this is a mess you can just pave over with a few million dollars? What on earth is going through your head?!"

Unfazed by Davis’s visceral anger, Liam actually chuckled. Releasing Serena, he slouched back against the back of the leather sofa, taking his sweet time to pull out a custom cigar and light it.

"Mr. Davis, let's not be dramatic. We're talking about a slot for a corporate title. There isn't a single thing in this world that money can't buy. And if it can't, it just means you haven't hit the right number yet." He blew out a ring of smoke, casting a patronizing, charitable look in my direction. "Tell you what. Out of respect for the Senior Partner, I'll double it. Four million. Four million dollars. That should do it, right?"

He glanced at Davis’s livid face, completely ignoring the older man's outrage, before locking his predatory gaze onto me. "Chloe, know when to fold 'em. Take the deal. Otherwise, I personally guarantee that not a single VC firm on Wall Street will ever dare to glance at your resume again."

Davis fell silent. He merely stared at Liam, his voice dropping to a lethally quiet register. "Liam, I suggest you think very carefully right now. Every word you are saying could be used as evidence in a court of law."

Sitting on the opposite sofa, nursing my coffee, I watched Liam posture in all his insufferable arrogance. I couldn't help it—I laughed out loud.

"Four million?" I set my ceramic cup down and delicately dabbed the corner of my mouth with a napkin. "Liam, if you think every problem can be solved by writing a check, it simply means the trouble you're about to face isn't nearly big enough yet."

Liam flicked his cigar ash, his expression practically dripping with condescension. "What, then? Drop the holier-than-thou act, Chloe." He narrowed his eyes, a mocking cadence slipping into his voice. "Be a good girl, take the money, and make a graceful exit. It’s certainly a lot more graceful than letting everyone know you only got this far by ratting out your ex-boyfriend, wouldn't you agree?"