The irony was almost funny.

He'd probably forgotten that seven years ago, when his startup collapsed and he was hiding in a basement eating instant noodles, I was the one who pawned her family heirlooms to keep him afloat.

And when his business pivot was falling apart, I was the one who stayed up three nights straight, putting together quotes and projections for every single one of his suppliers.

He thought he was a business genius.

Everything he'd built was built on my help.

"Throw it away."

I turned and walked off.

The assistant seemed startled, then raised his voice to a shout. "Miss Pruitt! Don't push your luck. The villa and a million a month—that's the best you're ever going to get!"

All I heard was noise.

"Go back and tell Fred Delgado to start preparing for bankruptcy. Don't wait until he's staring down the end before he comes begging me for help."

I said it without looking back.

Maybe my arrogance got to him, because he didn't bother me again.

I had barely checked into a hotel when my phone lit up with a string of notifications.

Your supplementary card ending in 6688 has been frozen.

Within three minutes, every bank card Fred had ever given me was frozen. Every single one.

Then a message from him.

"Since you won't accept my offer, consider it a voluntary forfeiture. When you're out on the street and starving, don't you dare come crawling back to me."

I read the message and let out a cold laugh.

So his assistant had run straight back to him with every word.

Just then, Alfred Graves called.

"Miss Pruitt, when shall I come to pick you up?"

"No rush. I want to see what other stupid moves Fred makes next."

I smiled to myself.

Early the next morning, Fred's call dragged me out of sleep.

"Winifred! Where the hell have you been?"

He was screaming into the phone.

I held it away from my ear and waited for his tantrum to burn out before yawning. "Say what you came to say."

That only made him worse.

"Did you leak it to the bank? That our last project had a delayed repayment? Why did the bank suddenly notify us today that the loan won't be approved?"

Hearing the tremor in his voice, I felt nothing but pure satisfaction.

"Didn't I already tell you? I called my father."

"The bank cutting you off is just step one. Once the funding gets pulled across every channel, you won't be far from bankruptcy."

I clicked my tongue as I said it.