suffocate. The sheer staggering audacity of his cowardice was almost poetic. I forwarded the email to Allaric. Set the trap. I typed. Allaric replied 5 minutes later. He sent a formal legal response to Declan, copying Bellamy and Duna. The email was a masterpiece of corporate misdirection. All Alaric introduced himself as my legal counsel and proposed a diplomatic mediation to resolve the financial dispute regarding the medical equipment and to address their concerns about defamation. He invited them to his firm’s high-end office downtown at noon the next day, promising a swift, confidential resolution. They took the bait without a single second thought. They saw the words diplomatic mediation and immediately assumed I was backing down. How quickly does a narcissist’s smug smile fade when the doors lock behind them? The next day,

at exactly noon, I was sitting in the largest, most intimidating conference room of Allaric’s downtown law firm. The room was specifically designed to make opposing council feel small. It was located on the 42nd floor, surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows offering a sweeping, dizzying view of the city skyline. A massive polished mahogany table dominated the center of the room. All Alaric sat at the head of the table wearing a bespoke suit that cost more than Declan’s car, looking entirely relaxed and incredibly dangerous. I sat to his right, wearing a sharp black blazer, my posture perfectly straight, my face an unreadable mask of stone. At 12:00 on the dot, the heavy glass doors swung open. Declan, Bellamy, and Uno walked in. They had dressed for a victory lap.

Uno was wearing her best pearls and a smug, condescending smile, looking around the expensive office with an air of entitlement as if she already owned the place. Declan was wearing a poorly fitted suit, trying desperately to look imposing, but mostly just looking sweaty and uncomfortable. And Bellamy had actually brought her vlogging camera. She was holding it down by her side, the red recording light blinking softly. She clearly intended to secretly record my surrender and my forced apology for her followers, planning to monetize my public humiliation. Well, this is certainly formal, Una said, taking a seat directly across from me and placing her designer handbag conspicuously on the mahogany table. But I suppose we need expensive lawyers involved since Sloan refuses to communicate like a rational mature family member.

Declan sat next to his mother, staring at the table, refusing to make eye contact with me. Bellamy sat on the end, smirking openly, adjusting the lens cap on her camera. Let us get straight to the point. Bellamy sneered, leaning forward, eager to play the dominant role. My brand has taken a hit because of your little stunt in the driveway on Sunday. We are willing to overlook your trespassing and your derange threats if you sign a strict non-disclosure agreement today and admit on camera that the machine breaking was an accident caused by VETA. We will even generously pitch in a few hundred to help you buy a replacement tank. But the defamation stops today. I did not speak. I did not react. I simply sat there and let her arrogant voice echo and die in the vast quiet room.

Allaric smiled. It was not a friendly smile. It was the smile of a predator tasting blood in the water. “Miss Bellamy,” Allaric said smoothly, steepling his fingers resting on the mahogany table. “We are not here today to discuss a non-disclosure agreement. And we are certainly not here to discuss a public apology.” Bellamy frowned, her smug expression faltering for a fraction of a second. What are you talking about? Declan’s email clearly stated, “We are here about the defamation issue.” Allaric opened the thick leather binder resting in front of him. He pulled out a dense 50page financial contract and slid it across the smooth surface of the table until it stopped directly in front of Declan. Seven months ago, all Alaric began his voice echoing with lethal corporate precision. You and your sister consolidated your failing media business debts and your underwater residential mortgage through a private secondary lender known as Apex Holdings. The total leveraged amount was exactly $2,400,000. Is that correct? Declan stared down at the dense legal document. The color began to rapidly drain from his face, leaving him looking sickly and pale. “Yes,” he whispered, looking profoundly confused. “But what does my mortgage or Bellamy’s business loan have to do with Sloan or the broken oxygen tank?” All Alaric leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Apex Holdings is a blind trust, Mr. Declan. It is a corporate shell specifically designed to manage high yield aggressive debt acquisitions for a single private investor. Una scoffed loudly, crossing her arms

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