The world outside the bus windows was a blur of red brake lights, smeared rain, and the deafening screech of tires.

I set the tea down on my bedside table, feeling no fear, no sadness—only a cold, clean calm.

"Hello, Ethan," I said quietly.

"Don't 'Hello Ethan' me!" he roared over the line. Background noise suggested he was standing on a balcony in California, wind whipping past his phone. "My lawyer called me yesterday in a complete panic! Alexander Vance bought sixty percent of my commercial debt?! He threatened to liquidate Mercer Holdings?!"

"He didn't threat, Ethan," I corrected smoothly. "He stated a fact."

"Are you insane?!" Ethan yelled, his voice cracking with pure desperation. "What did you do to get Alexander Vance involved in our divorce?! Did you sleep with him?! Is that what this is?!"

Before I could answer, a hand reached over my shoulder and calmly took the phone out of my hand.

Alexander put the phone on speaker and set it on the tray table between us.

"Mercer," Alexander’s deep, lethal voice echoed into the microphone.

The line went dead silent for three long seconds.

"V-Vance?" Ethan stammered, his earlier rage evaporating into instant terror. "Mr. Vance... look, there's been a massive misunderstanding. Claire is my wife, this is a private family matter—"

"Claire is no longer your wife," Alexander said coldly. "You signed the separation agreement four days ago, twenty-four hours before leaving her pregnant and penniless in a storm. Do you remember that, Ethan?"

"She... she wasn't due for three months!" Ethan pleaded frantically. "I didn't know she was going to go into labor!"

"She delivered three babies four days ago, Ethan," Alexander said, his voice dropping an octave, heavy with disgust. "Triplets. They are currently in the NICU fighting for their lives while you are in Malibu with Sabrina Hayes."

"Triplets?" Ethan whispered, sounding genuinely shocked for half a second. "Three... three babies?"

"Which you abandoned," Alexander cut in ruthlessly. "My legal team has already drafted the emergency petition for sole custody, total termination of your parental rights based on willful abandonment, and maximum statutory child support. Furthermore, if you attempt to touch one cent of the marital assets before the court date, I will enforce the default covenants on your corporate debt immediately."

"You can't do this to me!" Ethan screamed, panic breaking through his voice. "Mercer Holdings is my family's legacy! You can't ruin me over a woman!"

"She isn't just a woman, Ethan," Alexander said, looking directly into my eyes as he spoke into the phone. "She is the woman you were too stupid to treasure. And now, she is under my protection."

Alexander ended the call with a single tap of his finger.

He looked at me, a soft, approving smile touching his lips. "How did that feel?"