After presenting the product, he turned and beckoned Claudia, who'd been waiting at the side of the stage, to join him.
He wrapped an arm around her, smiled into the cameras, and said:
"I want to give special thanks to my executive assistant, Ms. Claudia Swanson. The core breakthroughs in this product wouldn't have been possible without her dedication and perseverance. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Whispers erupted across the audience. Countless camera lenses swiveled toward me in unison.
The flash of the cameras stung my eyes.
Everyone in that room knew I was the one who'd funded this project. I was the one who'd poured every resource, every piece of technology, into making it happen.
And there he stood, bathed in the spotlight, handing all the glory to a secretary whose only real talent was playing helpless.
When the presentation ended, he stepped offstage. He didn't come to me first.
Instead, he pulled a teary-eyed Claudia into his arms, murmuring to her softly, as if she were something precious beyond measure.
Only when he saw me approaching did he frown and let go of her.
"Bernice, what happened onstage was just part of the job. Don't throw a tantrum and make a scene here."
I looked at him, and suddenly I smiled.
"Evan."
"Do you honestly believe that I, Bernice Pruitt, can't survive without you?"
He blinked, then let out a scornful laugh, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Stop acting like a child. You've sunk nearly half a billion dollars into me. Walk away from that? You wouldn't dare."
"Besides, who else would put up with you?"
Behind him, Claudia peeked out and flashed me the smile of a winner. Triumph and provocation practically spilled from her eyes.
I looked at the two of them, that sickening picture of mutual devotion.
Five years of swallowed humiliation, five years of rage. In that moment, it all finally found its way out.
I pulled out my phone. Right in front of him, I tapped the screen once.
Over a dozen documents, prepared long in advance, sent simultaneously.
Evan's phone buzzed.
He glanced down at the screen instinctively. The color drained from his face.
He looked up at me, disbelief written across every feature.
"Bernice, you... have you lost your mind?!"
A cold smile curved the corner of my lips.
Yes. I had lost my mind.
Five years ago, I'd been blind enough to fall in love with an ungrateful snake and nurse a wolf at my own hearth.
Now I was going to take back everything I'd given him. Personally. Piece by piece.
"Evan, you didn't actually think my silence this past month meant I'd given in, did you?"
"I gave you chance after chance. You're the one who slammed every door shut."
"Everything you have today came from me. I built you up from nothing, and I can tear it all down just as easily."
He staggered back a step. Fear finally surfaced in his eyes.
The venue had already descended into chaos. Calls from investors were pouring in one after another.
Reporters caught the scent and charged toward us, cameras and microphones raised like weapons.
Flashbulbs exploded.
This time, they weren't aimed at the triumphant Evan Fox. They were aimed at the ashen-faced shell of him.
And at Claudia behind him, trembling so violently she could barely stay on her feet.
I smoothed the hem of my jacket, looked into his shattered eyes, and said softly:
"This reckoning has only just begun."
