Chapter 5

The backup sedan tore through the flooded streets of Manhattan. The air pressure inside the car was suffocatingly low. Ellsworth gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were entirely white.

Felicity took a deep, ragged breath. Her hands were shaking violently, but she forced herself to move. She pulled her phone from her pocket, synced the micro-wiretap via Bluetooth to the car's audio system, and hit play.

The stereo speakers crackled. Suddenly, Camila's sharp, whiny voice filled the silent car.

"He follows me around like a pathetic guard dog," Camila's voice sneered through the speakers. "It's exhausting. But his guilt is useful. Make sure you leak the story about his competitor to the press tomorrow. Ellsworth will crush them for me if he thinks they stressed my heart."

Ellsworth slammed on the brakes.

The tires locked, screeching violently against the wet asphalt. The heavy sedan fishtailed, throwing them both forward against their seatbelts before slamming to a halt against the curb.

He slowly turned his head. He stared at the audio waveform bouncing on the dashboard screen. The murderous rage in his eyes fractured, replaced by a massive, earth-shattering shock.

Felicity looked at him, her eyes dead and cold. "Your precious savior," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "She's nothing but a parasite feeding on your guilt."

Ellsworth let out a roar. He lunged across the console, grabbing her phone to smash it against the dashboard.

Felicity didn't flinch. "Break it. The audio is already uploaded to a secure cloud server. It's scheduled to mass-email every major news outlet in the country at 8:00 AM."

Ellsworth froze, his hand hovering in the air.

"If you touch me again tonight," Felicity whispered, leaning closer to his paralyzed face, "the Wall Street Journal will have the exclusive on how the future Mrs. Mckinney is a manipulative fraud."

Ellsworth's breathing turned ragged. The muscles in his neck strained as he fought a violent internal war between his urge to kill her and the reality of the threat. Finally, he pulled back and punched the steering wheel with a sickening crunch. The horn blared, a long, desperate sound in the rainy night.

He threw the car into drive. He didn't take her to the hotel. He drove straight to the heavily fortified Mckinney estate in Long Island.

He dragged her into the massive library and locked her inside, leaving to make calls to verify the audio's authenticity.

Felicity paced the Persian rug. She knew the recording only bought her a temporary ceasefire. She needed a hard, legal exit.

The heavy oak doors suddenly burst open.

Camila rushed in, wearing a silk nightgown, her face pale. She had clearly been tipped off by the staff that Ellsworth brought Felicity here in a rage.

Camila immediately put on her victim mask. She reached out, trying to grab Felicity's hands. "Felicity, what did you tell him? Why is he so angry?"

Felicity slapped Camila's hands away with disgust. She held up her phone, playing the audio file right in Camila's face.

Camila's expression froze. The mask slipped. Her eyes narrowed into vicious slits. "Even if you have that," Camila hissed, dropping the sweet voice, "he will never believe a cheap substitute over the woman who saved his life."

Felicity let out a cold laugh. She raised her hand and slapped Camila across the face with every ounce of strength she had.

The sharp crack echoed loudly in the cavernous library.

Camila's head snapped to the side. She stumbled back, clutching her rapidly reddening cheek, her eyes wide with absolute shock. She opened her mouth to scream.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Instantly, Camila threw herself onto the floor. She curled into a ball, sobbing hysterically, her hand clutching her chest as if she were having a heart attack.

Ellsworth walked through the doors. He saw Camila on the floor, weeping, and Felicity standing over her. His brow furrowed deeply. He rushed over and gathered Camila into his arms.

"She hit me!" Camila wailed, burying her face in his chest. "She forged a recording to frame me, Ellsworth! She's trying to tear us apart!"

Ellsworth looked up at Felicity. His eyes were glacial, filled with heavy disappointment. "Why do you insist on using these disgusting tactics to hurt her?"

Felicity looked at his blind, unconditional protection. The last ember of pain in her heart burned out, leaving nothing but cold, hard ashes.

She didn't defend herself. She simply tapped the screen of her phone, playing the second half of the recording.

"Pay the doctor whatever he wants," Camila's voice echoed clearly. "Just make sure the medical report says my heart condition is worsening. Ellsworth will give me anything I want if he thinks I'm dying."

Camila's sobs stopped instantly. The color drained completely from her face. She stared at Ellsworth in sheer terror.

Ellsworth's body went rigid. He slowly pushed Camila out of his arms. He looked down at her. His eyes were a chaotic storm of betrayal and pure, unadulterated fury. The foundation of the last eight years had cracked beneath his feet. He looked at Felicity, not with guilt, but with the raw, volatile irritation of a man realizing he had been played by his own creation. For the first time in eight years, the halo around his savior shattered.

Felicity stepped forward. "I want my non-disclosure agreements voided. Now. And I want my mother's security detail removed. Or the full tape goes live."

Camila lunged for the phone. "Give it to me!"

"Sit down!" Ellsworth roared, his voice shaking the windows. Camila collapsed back onto the floor, trembling.

He turned to Felicity. His eyes were a chaotic storm of betrayal, anger, and a sudden, terrifying realization of what he had done to her. He pulled out his phone and called his legal team.

Thirty minutes later, the fax machine in the library whirred.

Felicity picked up the freshly printed, legally binding NDA release form. She didn't even glance at Camila, who was still crying on the floor. She turned her back on Ellsworth and walked out of the estate, stepping into the cold, liberating night air.