A cold sneer twisted my lips.
"Hailey Mann, doesn't that word burn your throat? Hypocrite."
"I... I've already been hurt enough, Henry."
"You—"
"Hailey, give me the phone."
The line crackled. The next second, Wyatt Farley's voice grated against my ear.
"Listen closely, Henry Harding. If Hailey hadn't begged me on her knees, do you think I'd let you off this easy?"
He didn't wait for a response. "My companies are worth tens of billions. Endless capital. An army of people at my disposal. And you? Nothing. A tiny, insignificant lawyer."
His voice dropped to a growl. "Don't choose the hard way. You won't survive it."
Beside me, Dylan was trembling, fists clenched white. He looked ready to punch the wall.
"The arrogance," he hissed. "He's out of control!"
I kept my expression icy. "Wyatt, I have a message for you too."
"Speak," he scoffed.
"Man acts, and Heaven watches." My voice cut through his bluster. "Retribution isn't absent. It's just running late."
"Hah!" He laughed wildly. "Standing on the precipice of ruin, yet you still dare to preach? We'll see who laughs last!"
Click.
I hung up, turned on my heel, and marched toward my office. If the evidence was destroyed, fine. I would dig deeper. Rebuild the case from the ground up.
I pushed open the door—and froze.
The entire board was waiting, faces grim and self-righteous.
"Henry Harding," the Chairman began, voice dripping with disdain. "Who gave you the authority to investigate Mr. Farley?"
"You're fired," another announced without meeting my eyes.
"Your things are packed." A third pointed to a cardboard box on my desk. "Get out. Immediately."
I scanned their faces one by one. No panic rose in my chest—only a grim, knowing smile.
Wyatt's reach is long indeed.
They expected me to beg? To crumble? They underestimated who they were dealing with. I had kept a low profile for years, hiding my family's influence to build a career on my own merit. My humility had only fueled their arrogance.
I stared into the Chairman's eyes until he shifted uncomfortably. Without a word, I picked up the box and walked out.
The moment I stepped outside, cool air hitting my face, I dialed a number I hadn't used in a long time.
"Alfred."
"Sir?" The butler's voice was crisp and immediate.
"Mobilize the elite investigation unit. I want them here. Now."
"At once, Young Master."
I hung up and drove straight home.
Hailey stood up from the sofa when I entered, her expression a mix of anxiety and defiance.
"Henry, stop being stubborn," she pleaded. "Holding onto your pride will only destroy you. Do you think I did this because I still have feelings for Wyatt? Is that why you're obsessed with sending him to prison?"
"We've been married ten years. I am your wife. Wyatt is just—"
"Oh?" I cut her off, voice frigid. "So you remember you have a husband?"
Ten years.
For a decade, I used my own resources and my family's connections to elevate Hailey Mann. Took her from a nobody and molded her into a top-tier attorney. Every case she won—I was the one burning midnight oil, reviewing evidence, finding loopholes, crafting strategies.
I protected her reputation as if it were my own life.
And the result?
Betrayal. She wanted to ruin me. Cast me into hell to save her ex-lover.
Ten years of devotion. All of it cast before swine.
My love? She doesn't deserve a scrap of it.
"Henry Harding!" Hailey's face flushed red. "What are you implying? Of course I know I'm your wife! I did this for you. I didn't want you to get hurt!"
"For me?" I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "You know exactly who you did it for. And it wasn't me."
"Who else?" she snapped. "Wyatt? He's worth billions. Thousands of employees. Does he need my help?"
She took a breath, eyes filled with twisted pity. "It's you I'm worried about. You're just a small-time lawyer. Wyatt could crush you with a flick of his finger."
"So," I stepped closer, gaze boring into hers, "am I supposed to thank you for betraying me?"
Hailey shook her head as if she were the victim. "You're being completely irrational. You really disappoint me."
