Mira's POV
My hands won't stop shaking.
I hide them under the table as Marcus and I walk back into the conference room. Dominic sits there like a broken statue, his face white as paper.
Good. Let him feel what I felt.
"Shall we continue?" I settle into the chair at the head of the table. Not across from him—above him. "Or do you need a moment to process?"
Dominic's lawyer—a sharp-looking woman—clears her throat. "Ms. Shadow, perhaps we should reschedule—"
"No." Dominic's voice is hoarse. He stares at me like I'm a ghost. "No, we do this now."
I open my laptop, letting the silence stretch. Every second he watches me is another second he realizes what he lost. What he threw away like garbage.
"Mira—" he starts.
"Ms. Chen," I correct coldly. "Or M. Shadow if you prefer. We're not married anymore, Mr. Kane. You made sure of that."
His face twists with pain. Three years ago, that expression would have broken my heart. Now it feels like justice.
"Your company has three major problems," I say, pulling up files on my screen. "First, your security system is a joke. A talented high schooler could hack it. Second, someone already did hack it—and they have all your dirty secrets. Third, your board is planning to vote you out next week."
His CFO gasps. "How do you know about the board vote?"
I smile. "I know everything, Richard. Including the affair you're having with the head of accounting. Should I tell your wife, or will you resign quietly?"
Richard's face goes red. He looks down.
Dominic leans forward. "You hacked us. You're the one who destroyed my company."
"Wrong." I meet his eyes. "I didn't destroy anything. I just revealed what was already rotten. The stolen patents? That was you. The fake earnings reports? Also you. I simply showed the world who Dominic Kane really is."
"Why?" His voice cracks. "Why would you do this?"
My chest tightens. For a second, I see the man I loved. The one who held my hand on our wedding day and promised forever.
Then I remember him in bed with Elise. Remember signing custody papers with tears running down my face. Remember three years of watching my daughter grow up through hacked security cameras because that's all I had left.
"You took my child," I whisper. "You called me crazy. Unstable. A bad mother. Your mother told the court I was dangerous. And you believed her. You didn't fight for me. You just... let me go."
"I made a mistake—"
"A mistake?" My voice rises. "A mistake is forgetting an anniversary. You destroyed my entire life!"
The room goes quiet. Marcus puts a hand on my shoulder, steadying me.
I take a breath. Force myself calm. "But we're not here to discuss the past. We're here to discuss money. My consultation fee is two million dollars. That gets you three days of my time to assess your problems. If you want me to actually fix them—rebuild your security, save your company, make the FBI investigation disappear—that's five million more."
Dominic's lawyer chokes. "Seven million dollars total? That's insane—"
"That's cheap compared to bankruptcy." I close my laptop. "Kane Enterprises is worth three billion. If it collapses, you lose everything. Seven million is nothing."
"We don't have seven million in cash," Richard mutters.
"Then sell your car, Dominic." I stand up. "Sell your penthouse. Beg your mother for money. I don't care how you get it, but you have until tomorrow morning."
"Wait." Dominic stands too. "If I agree—if I pay—will you tell me the truth about something?"
I pause. "What?"
"Lily." His voice shakes. "The photo you sent. You've been watching her?"
My heart stops. I should lie. Should keep that secret buried.
But seeing his face—seeing actual fear there—something in me cracks.
"Every day," I admit quietly. "I hacked the security cameras at your house three years ago. I've watched every birthday, every school play, every moment I missed. I've seen her grow up through a screen because that's all you left me."
Tears fill his eyes. "Mira, I'm so sorry—"
"Your apologies mean nothing!" I slam my hand on the table. "Do you know what it's like? Watching your own daughter forget you? She doesn't even remember my face anymore, Dominic. Victoria tells her I abandoned her. That I didn't want to be her mother. And I can't tell her the truth because I have no legal right to see her!"
"I'll fix it," he says desperately. "I'll get you visitation—"
"I don't need your permission." I pull out my phone, show him a document. "This is a new custody petition. My lawyer is filing it tomorrow. I have evidence that you and Victoria lied to the court. Emails. Recordings. Financial records proving the whole thing was planned."
His face goes pale. "You could take her from me."
"Yes." The word tastes like ashes. "I could. But unlike you, I won't use my daughter as a weapon. I just want to be her mother again."
Dominic sinks back into his chair. He looks destroyed.
Part of me—the part that loved him once—wants to comfort him.
But the stronger part remembers every cruel word. Every dismissal. Every time he made me feel small.
"Twenty-four hours," I say. "Bring the money, or I walk. Your company dies, and I file for full custody."
I turn to leave.
"I'll do it." His voice is broken. "Whatever you want. I'll pay. Just... please. Give me a chance to make this right."
I look back at him. "You can't make this right, Dominic. But you can try to make it less wrong. We'll see if you're worth the effort."
Marcus and I walk out. In the hallway, my knees go weak. Marcus catches me.
"That was brutal," he whispers.
"It needed to be." But my voice shakes.
My phone buzzes. Unknown number again: "Well played. But he's not your only enemy. Check Kane Enterprises' security footage from last night. Third floor, 11 PM. Someone else is hunting you, little shadow. Someone who knows you're coming. -M.S."
I pull up the footage Marcus hacked earlier. Fast-forward to 11 PM.
A figure in black moves through Dominic's office. They're looking for something. They find a folder marked "MIRA - PRIVATE."
The figure photographs every page.
Then they turn toward the camera—just for a second—and I see their face.
My blood turns to ice.
It's Elise.
But that's not the worst part.
Behind her, helping her search, is someone I never expected.
Someone I trusted.
Someone who knows all my secrets.
My father.