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The buyer’s adulterous VP walks into my office a few hours later.

He’s clearly shaken up, twitching at every sound, his face white as a sheet and his hands constantly twisting in front of him.

I send Samantha a smile I don’t feel and say, “Thank you, Samantha. Can you close the door, please?”

She nods, though she’s skeptical. She knows something’s up. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to ask if Charli has already called in to announce she’s finished her analysis on the acquisition, but something on my face must have given away that things are changing because she’s been sneaking glances at me since I walked into the office at 8 a.m.

Once the door is closed, I gesture at the seat in front of my desk. “Have a seat, Tom.”

He looks like he wants to refuse. Or vomit. But after a moment, he collapses in the chair and blurts out, “Please don’t tell my wife. This would ruin me. Especially since Peter⁠—”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Tom, I don’t give a flying fuck who you’re cheating on your wife with. I care that you were planning to fuck over Randall’s company to cover the affair.”

He winces, his hands twisting more. “I didn’t want to,” he says weakly. “I wouldn’t have picked it to buy, but I would have gone along with the plans for it. Except…”

“Except then your little girlfriend and boyfriend decided they could make a buck off of it,” I finish. “Yeah, I get it. Unfortunately for you, my girlfriend is a little smarter than yours.”

For the first time, anger flickers in Tom’s eyes. He sits up a little straighter and spits, “She broke into my home. I could have her arrested.”

I can’t help it. I roll my eyes. “In which case, I would reveal the affair. The very thing you’re most scared of.” Then I drop all bravado and lean forward, showing him the full extent of my own anger. “And herein lies our quandary, doesn’t it, Tom.”

His eyes squeeze shut. “Okay, okay. I won’t report her. But please…you can’t tell anyone. Just…please.”

I sigh again. “We’re going in circles here. I didn’t call you in here to threaten you”—I wait until he opens his eyes, then add—“about revealing your secret.”

When his brow furrows in confusion, I stand to my full height.

“This sale isn’t going through,” I state simply. “I won’t let you ruin what Randall created. And I don’t care to reveal your affair.” Then I lean forward to brace my hands on my desk, staring down at Tom with the full force of my conviction. “But if you or your lackeys ever threaten or come near my girlfriend, it won’t be the business ramifications you’ll have to fear. It’s me. And I won’t stop at a few punches like I did with your boyfriend. They’ll have to airlift your body out of that apartment.” I straighten again. “If you’re lucky.”

His eyes widen, and he starts to tremble. His mouth opens, closes, opens again. No words come out.

And with perfect timing, I hear Samantha’s knock on the door.

I paste a blinding smile on my face and call out, “Come in,” as I button my suit jacket.

Samantha pops her head in, my boss visible behind her. “Are we interrupting?”

“Not at all,” I say cheerily. “Tom and I were just finishing up.” Walking around my desk, I extend my hand, which he automatically shakes. I just want to use it to pull him to his feet and usher him toward the door.

“Bryan,” I greet my boss. “Thank you for being perfectly punctual.” I turn to Tom and discreetly push him toward the door. “Tom, it was a pleasure chatting with you. So sorry things didn’t work out. Maybe next time.”

Tom stumbles, wide-eyed, out of my office.

“What was that about?” Bryan asks with a frown.

I shrug and wave him in. “I had to cancel his sale because I discovered he was planning to ruin the company. He’s a little upset about it.”

Bryan’s frown deepens at the casual way I say that.

Unfortunately, it’s about to get even deeper.

Extending my hand to him, I wait until he takes it before I say, “Bryan, it’s been a fantastic ten years. I can’t thank you enough for taking a chance on a freshly minted lawyer way back then. I’m so grateful for you. Unfortunately, I need to give you my two weeks’ notice.”

Both his and Samantha’s jaws drop. Maybe I should have waited until everyone was settled, and maybe I should have told Samantha separately, but now that I’ve checked Tom off my list, I can’t stop myself from flying through the other items. I need to make the necessary changes in my life now, so I can move on to the next phase of it.

The Charli phase.

Bryan blusters for a little bit before finally managing to ask, “Did you get an offer from a different firm?”