He tried to make his voice sound tough.
"Fine, divorce! But the assets have to be divided properly! That five million…"
"I don't want the bottle."
I cut him off cold.
Ryan's eyes lit up instantly. I kept going.
"But I have conditions."
I held up one finger.
"First—you leave with nothing. Except this bottle, everything else is mine."
"Second—you broke into my car and damaged it. You'll cover every cent of the repair. I'll have the dealership assess it tomorrow. Transfer the money to my account by end of day."
"Third—"
My gaze sharpened.
"The house fund had $200,000 of my savings in it. Return that too. Tomorrow. Every last cent."
"In your dreams!"
Mrs. Lambert shrieked first.
"Leave with nothing? Why don't you just rob us outright?"
Ryan's face flushed crimson. "Joy! Don't push it! Even in a divorce, assets get split fifty-fifty! This house, this car—I have a stake in them!"
"And that money—I can't just pull it out of thin air!"
"Can't pull it out?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Then we have a problem, Ryan."
I deliberately slowed my words, giving them time to stew.