It was Marcus Thorn.

“The audio file has been officially verified and submitted to the federal prosecutors, Maya,” Marcus said quietly, his voice full of profound respect.

“That recording, combined with the forensic patent-theft data, has completely obliterated Ethan’s final legal defense. The board has removed him, and the DA is fast-tracking the criminal indictment.”

Six months later, Ethan Vance was formally convicted of federal wire fraud, grand larceny, and intellectual property theft. The judge sentenced him to four years in a federal correctional facility.

Chloe left him shortly after the corporate asset seizures began, filing a massive, highly publicized lawsuit against him for child support he couldn’t even afford to pay.

I didn’t celebrate his downfall. By that point, petty revenge mattered infinitely less to me than absolute, structural peace.