Rachel stepped forward and said firmly, “Leave now.”
“Not until you decide,” Victor replied, “or I will expose what I found in the audit.”
Rachel lost color in her face for the first time.
Victor smiled with satisfaction and walked away, saying, “Enjoy your time while it lasts.”
When he left, the ocean sounded distant and heavy. Avery hugged Ethan’s leg and asked quietly, “Can we go home?”
Ethan did not answer immediately and looked at Rachel before asking, “Is it true?”
“I am trying to find another solution,” she replied.
“That is not what I asked,” he insisted.
She stayed silent, and that silence hurt more than anything else.
“Everything will be decided on Monday,” she finally said.
Ethan laughed bitterly and said, “You told me I was safe.”
“I do not want to lose you,” she replied.
“But you might anyway,” he answered.
She said nothing, and he began gathering their things quickly.
“Ethan, wait,” she said, “there is something you need to know.”
“Then say it now,” he replied sharply.
Her phone rang again, and when she saw the caller, her face turned pale.
She answered, listened briefly, then looked at him and said, “They found who has been sabotaging the company, and you will not believe who it is.”