Demian said quietly, his voice low and controlled. "Because if it is—"
He paused, letting the silence fill the room.
"Then you will learn exactly what you will receive in return."
Ivanka opened her mouth, then closed it again. A thousand words crowded her mind defenses, accusations, demands but all of them felt brittle before Demian's composure. For the first time, she truly understood something she had long ignored, the man before her could not be forced by guilt, nor moved by public opinion.
"You want the world to stop talking about you?" Demian went on, his voice now nearly cold. "Then stop giving them material. Do not stand as a victim, and do not allow anyone to use you as a tool."
He turned back to the window, as though the conversation had reached its end.
