Confidential

Chapter Fourteen

The door clicked shut behind her, and Sari pressed her back against it, every muscle trembling from restraint.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. The adrenaline that had carried her through that entire confrontation finally drained out of her, leaving her legs shaky and weak.

For a few seconds, she just stood there, palms flat against the door, chest rising and falling in slow, deliberate rhythm.

She had done it. She’d faced Matthew Elizalde, and survived.

But survival wasn’t victory.

After a long breath, she straightened, rolling her shoulders back, forcing composure to return. She wasn’t going to give anyone in this place the satisfaction of seeing her fall apart.

When she walked down the velvet hallway back toward the main club, her heels sounded steady, unhurried, almost regal.

Mariella and Joan were waiting near the exit.

Joan’s wide eyes said everything before her mouth even opened. “Holy hell, woman, did you just negotiate or exorcise a demon?”

Mariella gave her a quick once-over, calm but assessing. “You’re pale,” she said quietly. “How bad?”

Sari exhaled slowly. “He listened. That’s all I can say for now.”

Joan frowned. “He didn’t…?”

“No,” Sari said quickly, voice clipped. “He didn’t. But he’s not done either.”

Mariella nodded, reading between the lines. “Then we’re not done.”

They left Elysium together, the city’s night wind cutting through the haze of perfume and neon. Behind them, the bass still thudded, the laughter of the elite echoing into the air like mockery.

Inside the car, silence hung heavy. Joan occasionally threw glances at Sari through the rearview mirror, but Mariella stayed quiet, lost in thought.

When they dropped Sari at her rented condo, Joan finally broke the silence. “Whatever that man threw at you, I hope you threw it back twice as hard.”

Sari managed a faint smirk. “You have no idea.”

But as she climbed the stairs to her unit, the smirk faded.

She wanted to believe she had made progress, that her offer had gotten through to him. That maybe, just maybe, beneath all that arrogance, he’d seen reason.

She was wrong.

The next morning, Sari woke to a call from Mariella.

The sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand pulled her out of a restless sleep. She reached for it, squinting at the screen.

“Mariella?” she croaked. “It’s barely eight.”

“I know,” Mariella said, her tone too calm to be casual. “You need to sit down for this.”

Sari pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes. “What happened?”

Mariella hesitated for half a second. “Ardent Lex filed an updated claim early this morning.”

Sari froze. “They what?”

“They amended the original lawsuit,” Mariella continued, her voice tight now. “They added another charge. Blackmail.”

Sari blinked, stunned into silence. “Blackmail?”

“Yes. They’re claiming you threatened Mr. Elizalde’s businesses during your meeting last night. They’ve also named you personally as a respondent to the suit.”

Sari’s pulse spiked. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.”

She swung her legs off the bed, pacing now. “And the amount?”

Mariella sighed. “Up from twenty million to thirty.”

“Thirty?”

“Apparently, Mr. Elizalde’s team is citing additional damages, reputational harm and interference with ongoing business partnerships.”

Sari let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. “So, let me get this straight. I fly halfway across the world to offer him a settlement, and he turns around and sues me harder?”

“Pretty much,” Mariella said grimly. “It’s a power move. He’s showing you that he can raise the stakes anytime he wants.”

Sari sank onto the edge of her bed, burying her face in her hands. “He’s making me the villain.”

Mariella’s voice softened. “That’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s shifting the narrative. You’re no longer just the daughter of the clinic owners. You’re the doctor who tried to ‘blackmail’ him into silence.”

“Unbelievable,” Sari muttered. “That arrogant son of a bitch.”

“Listen,” Mariella said firmly. “We’ll fight this. I’ll draft a response today. But you need to be ready. The media will get wind of this by tomorrow morning.”

Sari went still. “He wouldn’t.”

“Oh, he would,” Mariella said dryly. “You’ve poked a man who controls the country’s largest media network. You really think he won’t spin this?”

Sari’s heart sank. Her mind replayed last night, his smug smile, the calm confidence, the way he’d said he’d ‘think about her offer.’ He had been thinking all right. Strategizing. Waiting.

She felt foolish. Used.

Her hands clenched into fists. “If it’s war he wants, then fine. He’ll get one.”

Mariella exhaled. “Good. Because from this point on, there’s no more talking. We go full legal.”

Sari nodded slowly, anger hardening into resolve. “Then let’s make him regret underestimating me.”