Rebecca's Game
Rebecca sat in the back of the black Mercedes, city lights sliding across the tinted windows as she scrolled through her phone. The driver's low jazz station filled the silence, but her thoughts were louder.
Her visit to Daniel hadn't gone as planned. She'd expected him to look beaten down, desperate—easy to manipulate. But instead, she'd seen something different in his eyes: resolve. It unsettled her.
She tapped open her messages and read the latest report from a mutual acquaintance in the banking world:
CrossLogix – recently launched. Small business loan approved. Current liabilities high. Cash flow unstable. High risk of failure within 12 months.
Rebecca smiled thinly. Struggling, just as I thought.
Her new husband, Charles, had warned her not to meddle. "You left that life behind," he'd said. But Rebecca knew better. If Daniel's business collapsed—and she was certain it would—what would happen to Ethan? He would be dragged through his failures, forced to live through the instability of his reckless dreams.
Or so she told herself.
Deep down, the truth was simpler: she couldn't stand the thought of Daniel rebuilding without her. Of him succeeding after she'd walked away.
She dialed a number. A clipped, professional voice answered. "Ms. Cross."
"It's Rebecca," she corrected smoothly. "I need information. Legal options."
"Custody?" the voice asked.
Rebecca glanced at her reflection in the car window, adjusting a stray hair. "Visitation, at the very least. But if his business fails—and it will—I want grounds to argue he's unfit. I need everything on his financial instability, every late bill, every record of debt."
There was a pause. "That could be… costly."
"Money isn't the problem," she said sharply. "Just get me what I need."
She ended the call and leaned back against the leather seat. The city glittered outside, but her mind was elsewhere—on Daniel, on her son, on the life she'd abandoned but wasn't ready to fully release.
If he thought he could keep her out forever, he was wrong.
Rebecca smirked, her eyes cold. "Enjoy your little empire while it lasts, Daniel. Soon, I'll remind you who really has the power."
The car glided smoothly through the night, carrying her deeper into her schemes.