Part 3Their Vicious Oaths Came True

Harrison Global was built on my sweat, too. It was my child as much as Nathan was. Arthur thought he could use it as leverage.

Then, the System chimed again.

[Status Update: 'Loss of Fortune' protocol has been activated.]

I looked at Arthur and smiled. Why would I want a seat on a sinking ship?

I stepped forward and landed a blow on Arthur’s cheek that echoed through the room.

"You don't have to fire me. My resignation is already on your desk." I leaned in close. "Are you going to sign the papers, or are you too pathetic to let me go?"

In a fit of rage, Arthur scribbled his name on the divorce decree. "Fine! Get out! I hope you enjoy poverty. Let’s see how you survive without my name."

"Watch me," I said.

I don’t lose. I built Harrison Global into a powerhouse; I could do it again.

The next time I saw them, I was celebrating the launch of my new firm at a high-end bistro. My old team—the ones who actually kept the lights on at Harrison—had all followed me.

"Harrison Global is a mess," one of my managers whispered. "They’re losing ten million a day. Stock is hitting the floor. Investors are pulling out. And Arthur? He’s too busy playing house with Sonia to notice."

As we left the restaurant, Arthur and Sonia were standing by the valet.

"You think a few bad days mean I’m done?" Arthur laughed, though he looked haggard. "Nathan just closed a hundred-million-dollar contract yesterday. We’re fine."

He looked at me with pity. "Are you still waiting for those 'curses' to happen, Claire? Look at me. I have the woman I love. I’ve never been happier."

I didn't bother arguing. I’d already heard from my sources that the "hundred-million-dollar contract" was a shell company setup—a classic bust-out trap. Arthur was so blinded by his 'second youth' that he was walking straight into a buzzsaw.

As I walked toward my car, Sonia blocked my path.

"Claire," she said, her voice dropping its sweet facade. It was sharp, venomous. "I should thank you. You planted the tree, but I’m the one sitting in the shade."

She stepped closer, whispering so Arthur couldn't hear. "You fired me all those years ago. You thought you won. But look at you now. You're alone. And it’s not enough. You haven't hurt enough yet for what you did to me."

My heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, Sonia screamed and lunged toward the street. An oncoming SUV slammed its brakes, but it still clipped her, sending her sprawling onto the asphalt.

"Sonia!" Arthur shrieked, rushing to her side.

She coughed up a bit of blood, looking at me with a shattered, fragile gaze. "Arthur... don't be mad at Claire. She’s just... she loves you too much. She can't stand to share you. Please, don't..."

She fainted perfectly on cue.

Arthur looked at me with pure loathing. "You tried to kill her? You’re a monster."

The next day, Arthur and Nathan showed up at my new office with a crew of thugs and trashed the place.

"You tried to take Sonia’s life," Arthur said, stepping over a shattered computer monitor. "I’m just taking your office. Fair trade, right?"

I stood in the wreckage of my lobby and pulled out my phone. I didn't call the police. I took the security footage from the bistro—the angle that clearly showed Sonia throwing herself into the car—and I bought the ad space on the giant digital billboard in the center of the financial district.

Then, I tracked Sonia down at the hospital. I dragged her out of bed by her hair and slapped her until she was unconscious.

"You want to play the victim? Now you have the bruises to match the story," I whispered into her ear before the nurses arrived.

When Arthur and Nathan tried to confront me again, pointing at the "assault," I simply pointed at the billboard above them. The entire city was watching Sonia’s "accident" on a loop.

"She’s just insecure, Claire," Nathan stammered, his face turning a sickly shade of gray. "She didn't mean it. Dad will pay for the office repairs."

"Get out," I said.

The divorce was finalized. Arthur married Sonia the very next day. They threw a lavish wedding to "prove" their love hadn't been shaken.

During the reception, my phone rang. An unknown number.

"Claire," Sonia’s voice came through, cold and mocking. "I remember you had a daughter who died in infancy. Daisy, right? I found her urn at the chapel. I thought... wouldn't it be poetic to mix her ashes into the fireworks for tonight’s finale? To celebrate our new beginning?"