Chapter 4

A charity auction for children's art programs.

Innovatech was a major sponsor, but I attended discreetly, a quiet patron.

Maya' s school was involved, and she had a small piece in the student exhibit.

Brenda Davies, another mother from Maya' s class, approached me.

Her smile was too bright, her eyes sharp.

"Sarah, darling. So good to see you out. Maya must be so thrilled her art is here."

Polite, but with an edge.

"She is," I said, keeping my tone neutral.

"It's wonderful you can provide these opportunities for her, being on your own and all," Brenda continued, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Such a shame about her father. So tragic."

The old cover story.

Then, the jab. "And your wealth, it's all so... mysterious. Innovatech is so quiet these days, yet clearly doing well."

Her eyes scanned my simple dress, my lack of ostentatious jewelry.

I smiled faintly. "We prefer to let our work speak for itself."

Brenda's husband, Michael Chen, hovered nearby.

I recognized him instantly.

He was the Head of HR I' d fired from Innovatech a few months prior.

Unethical practices, leaking sensitive company information.

I' d given him a generous severance package, tied to a strict NDA, to avoid a messy lawsuit.

He hadn' t expected me to be here, certainly not in this capacity.

His face paled when he saw me looking at him.

Brenda, oblivious, continued her probing. "Michael is looking for a new challenge. Such a talent, it's a shame Innovatech let him go."

"Indeed," I said, my voice smooth as ice. "We have very high ethical standards at Innovatech."

I met Michael' s gaze. He looked away quickly.

Later that evening, I made a call to my legal team.

"Monitor Michael Chen' s severance conditions. Strictly."

His job search for a comparable position would become significantly more difficult.

No direct confrontation. Just a quiet, effective tightening of the screws.

My actions weren't born from anger, but from a pragmatic need to protect what I'd built.

Maya tugged on my hand later. "Mommy, Mrs. Davies was asking weird questions."

"Like what, sweetie?"

"About Daddy. And why we have a nice house."

I knelt down. "Some people are curious, Maya. And sometimes, curiosity isn't very kind."

"Is that why you looked at Mr. Davies like he was a broken toy?"

I almost laughed. She didn't miss a thing.

"Something like that," I said. "Remember what I told you? When people are unkind, we don't have to play their game. We just make sure they can't bother us again."

"Like putting them in timeout, but for grown-ups?"

"Exactly like that," I said, hugging her. "A very long timeout."

My philosophy was simple: deal with threats swiftly, decisively, and then move on.

Emotional engagement was a waste of energy.

Maya, in her own way, understood. Her loyalty was a fierce, protective thing. It warmed me more than any public acclaim.