Zee's smirk was starting to fade.
Michael stepped into the center of the room, his shadow stretching across the floor like a warning. His voice dropped low—measured, almost calm—but his eyes were steel.
> "You leaked confidential information. You almost destroyed Lynn's name, her life. You think we're here to talk it out?"
Zee backed up slightly. "I didn't think she'd bounce back. I thought Jayden—"
> "Jayden's a coward hiding behind your betrayal," Michael cut in. "And you're just the middle woman."
He circled her slowly, hands in his pockets like he wasn't even trying — but the tension in the room said otherwise.
> "You know what I used to do before I met her?" he asked.
Zee swallowed. "Does it matter?"
> "It does now," he said flatly. "Because I cleaned up messes. Big ones. The kind that never made the news."
He leaned in just enough for her to flinch.
> "So I'll give you one chance, Zee. Talk. Or disappear the hard way."
Lynn raised an eyebrow, surprised by the shift in him. The Michael she once knew was calm, charming, collected.
This version? This version could scare a ghost.
Zee looked between the two of them, breathing heavy.
> "Jayden has more. He told me if this didn't work, he'd release everything. Real names. Real footage. He's been sitting on it for months."
> "Where?" Michael asked.
> "Cloud drive. Password protected. I don't have access anymore," she said quickly. "He stopped trusting me after I hesitated to release the second file."
Lynn stepped forward. "So he's got a backup plan."
Zee nodded. "And he's not working alone. There's someone funding this. Someone who wants your entire operation dead before it even launches."
Michael turned to Lynn. "You hear that?"
> "Yeah," Lynn said. "We're not dealing with a jealous ex anymore."
Michael looked back at Zee.
> "You're going to send him a message," he said. "Tell him you want a meeting. Somewhere public. Somewhere we control."
Zee blinked. "What? He'll know it's a trap."
> "Good," Michael said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Let him walk right into it."
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