"You're a piece of s**t, Ethan."
I didn't respond immediately, not because I didn't have anything to say. But because… I was gauging. Assessing the tone, the timing, the limit.
She took a step forward.
"Can't you wait?"
Her voice trembled, but it wasn't weakness… it was simmering fury.
"Can't you wait until I get out of this shithole?"
My jaw tightened.
"Can't you at least have the decency?"
Silence.
"Find a replacement while I'm still here?"
That's when I understood, of course… Quickly. Someone talked, or someone saw. Or someone… leaked.
My assistant was discreet, but this is a business. Things move.
"Who told you?" I finally asked, calmly.
She let out a humorless laugh.
"Does it matter?"
Yes. But that wasn't the point.
"Does it matter more than what you di
