ETHAN'S POV
Carl froze.
My finger hovered close to the trigger as I stepped in front of Ava, shielding her from whatever tricks Carl still had in his arsenal.
The bastard hadn't changed, not since the day I suspected him of leaking confidential board strategies.
"You lied to me," I said. "To Ava. To everyone who ever trusted you."
Carl raised his hands slowly. "I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice," I growled. "You chose greed."
Ava moved beside me, calm despite the tension.
"We need names, Carl," she said. "All of them."
He hesitated.
"You think I won't give this to the press?" I continued. "We have evidence. You'll rot. Or you talk, and maybe you walk."
Carl looked between us, eyes calculating. Then he nodded toward a satchel on the floor.
"In there. Documents. Recordings. Everything."
I motioned Ava to retrieve the bag while I kept my eyes locked on Carl. The man who once celebrated our wedding. The man who now stood, stripped of loyalty.
