The morning light filtered through Ryan’s office windows, casting long shadows across the desk as he rifled through a stack of documents. His phone buzzed, drawing his attention to a message from an unknown number. Hesitant, he opened it.
The first thing he saw was a photo of Hale, sharp in his tailored suit, stepping out of Amelia’s house. The timestamp in the corner told him it was from the night before. Beneath the image was a note: "Amelia’s on our side now. Guess she’s tired of waiting for you."
Ryan’s jaw tightened, his pulse hammering in his ears. His grip on the phone trembled as anger surged through him, hot and blinding. He stared at the photo, bile rising in his throat. Amelia had let Hale into her home.
Slamming the phone down, Ryan rose from his chair, pacing like a caged animal. A flood of thoughts raced through his mind—questions, accusations, doubts—all of them laced with the sting of betrayal.
“I trusted her,” he muttered to himself, his voice thick with disbelief.
His lawyer, seated across the room reviewing paperwork, looked up sharply. “What’s going on?”
Ryan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he snatched up the folder Hale had sent, his fingers curling tightly around the edges as if it might crumble under his grip. He slammed it onto the desk with enough force to make his lawyer flinch.
“This,” Ryan growled, shoving the photo and note toward him. “They’ve dragged Amelia into this. Or maybe she’s dragged herself. Either way, she’s working with them now.”
The lawyer picked up the photo, his brow furrowing. “This doesn’t prove anything definitive,” he said carefully.
Ryan’s eyes flashed. “It proves enough. Hale was at her house. She’s been meeting with him behind my back. God knows what else she’s been doing.”
His lawyer set the photo down, choosing his words with precision. “Ryan, emotions are running high, but you need to be certain before making accusations. This could be part of Hale’s plan to sow discord.”
Ryan leaned over the desk, his voice low and sharp. “It doesn’t matter why he sent it. What matters is that Amelia let him in. She made her choice.”
As the lawyer watched Ryan pace furiously, he decided it was best not to press further. Ryan’s fists clenched and unclenched as he muttered, “If she wanted to betray me, she succeeded.”