Ryan's Final Bargain
Chapter 12 - Ryan's Final Bargain
Ryan asked to meet.
Elena chose a public restaurant.
He arrived looking thinner.
For the first time in years, he was not wearing a tailored suit.
He looked ordinary.
Almost small.
“I’ll agree to the divorce,” he said.
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“How generous.”
“I want half the value of the villa.”
“No.”
“We were married fourteen years.”
“The villa is protected by the trust.”
“Then give me something else.”
Elena studied him.
“You mean enough to pay your lenders.”
Ryan’s face tightened.
He leaned closer.
“They’re not people you ignore.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s reality.”
Elena did not move.
Ryan lowered his voice.
“Give me one million dollars and I disappear.”
She almost said yes.
Not because he deserved it.
Because she wanted peace.
Then she remembered her mother.
There are some people who love the life you give them more than they love you.
Elena stood.
“I already paid for your life for fourteen years.”
Ryan grabbed her wrist.
Not hard.
But enough.
Elena looked down at his hand.
He released her immediately.
People nearby were watching.
She picked up her purse.
“You just made your last bargain.”
As Elena walked away, Ryan called after her.
“You think Chloe is your friend now?”
She stopped.
Ryan smiled.
May you like
“Ask her who introduced me to the buyer.”
And just when Elena thought every secret had surfaced, another one opened.
