Her Billion Dollar Exit

PREDATOR

ARTHUR

“That’s the thing. Someone bought off our debt from the bank, and I have no idea who it is. You know me, Mike. I hate living at the mercy of anyone. This whole fuckery is messing with my mind.”

Mike’s eyes flicked towards my hand that was gripping my glass cup a little too hard. I let out a sigh and slammed the empty cup on the table. He jerked straighter, then cleared his throat over the loud music in the VIP section of the club we were seated in.

“I understand how you feel, man. I mean, I’m your guy. I watched you build your empire from the ground up. I’m sorry it’s like this now. And… I really wish I could help you with that loan, but I’m working on a project now. I need all the money I can get.” He told me, his voice strained.

My jaw tightened, the silence between us thick for the next few seconds. I finally gave him a terse nod and picked up the Hennessy bottle, filling my glass again. After a sip, I was ready to continue our conversation.

“No worries.” I grounded out. “My sister and my wife got me into this. I’ll get out of it.”

Mike shifted his chair closer. “Speaking of,” he started. “She did this?”

I didn’t respond, but my expression surely gave him all the answers he needed.

He shook his head in disappointment. “Man, you used to be so madly in love with Samantha. Now every time you speak of her… it’s like she’s your enemy. Are you sure she stole from you? I mean… she loved you as much as you loved her.”

I downed the rest of my drink.

“I’m sure she did. Did, as in past tense.” I smiled mirthlessly. Then exhaled a sharp breath and leaned closer to him, “Let’s keep my wife aside for a minute. Evelyn is back.”

Mike’s brows shot up.

“Really? When?”

“A week now… since I found out she was in town, anyways.” I told him. “She didn’t just return as the Evelyn we used to know. She owns a company way bigger than whatever scrap it is I’m trying to put together now.”

“f*****g hell.” Mike cussed, shifting forward with an expression full of shock.

“Despite how I felt about Evelyn in the past, I guess I’ve always had a feeling that she’s innovative. I tagged it to be a golddigging behavior, and sent her away with the funds she needed to work on her ideas. She just needed a push. I gave her that push. Set her up for life.”

“Did you?” Mike asked. His question took me by surprise. I tilted my head inquisitively. He scoffed. “I mean, this looks like it was all her. That same amount of money… even more, maybe, was placed in Rebecca and Samantha’s hands, and they wasted it. We both know she deserved that money too. She wasted a good amount of time with you, she deserved to be compensated.”

“With three billion dollars?”

“That wasn’t even near a quarter of what you were worth at the time, Arthur.”

I inhaled a deep breath. I hated to admit it, but he was right. Evelyn deserved that money. And another thing I hated to admit, was the pride I felt deep in my bones when I saw her looking, and speaking like that at the meeting.

Like the Queen she always was.

“I saw a boy with her.” I decided to tell him the major thing that brought me to his club to get wasted. “He looked… just like me.”

“What?”

“He might be my son. And I know she’s not going to let me be in his life. She has so much hatred in her eyes for me now.”

“s**t. Are you sure he’s yours? You’ve been trying with Samantha for five years now, and there’s been no child to show for it. He could be…”

“My heir.” My fists clenched at the possibility. I spoke with emotion threatening to choke me, “I will do whatever it takes to be in his life, Mike. He deserves to be a Hayes.”

I poured another glass for myself and downed it in one go, ignoring his jittery I was getting.

Mike sighed deeply. “I’ll give you the money, man.” I froze in my seat. He continued, “And it’s not a loan. Consider it… a friendly service. You can pay off whatever you can with it. I trust you’ll be able to get out of this. Soon.”

“Damn… thank you…” I was still in the middle of whatever appreciation I was trying to compose, when some security guards ran inside.

“Boss, there’s a fight downstairs. Someone got stabbed.” One of them said.

“Stabbed?” Mike s**t up from his chair. My head was still swimming from my friend’s generosity, I couldn’t give two shits about what was happening downstairs.

Until the guard spoke again, “Yes. It’s serious. The man tried to assault the woman, but she fought him. I think she said she owned Lin Associates something—”

I shot up from my chair.

“What?”

Mike shot me a confused look, which slowly morphed into realization. He turned back to the guard.

“What’s her name?”

“Evelyn, sir.”

“f**k no.” I was out of the section before any other thing could be said. I heard Mike calling after me as he ran behind, but I didn’t stop until I was downstairs. It was easy to spot her.

Dressed in a killer black dress and red lipstick, being held down by two hefty bouncers. She screamed on top of her voice, while they tried to get a bleeding man out of the scene. She was the one who stabbed him.

Evelyn wasn’t the victim anymore, I realized.

She was now the predator.