Chapter 9 Michelle completely fell apart . She could see the walls closing in , the game over , but couldn't accept this was how it would end for her . When I wouldn't take her calls , she started bombing me with texts : " Maya , you're as evil as James ! You'll both get what's coming ! " * " I'm a victim too ! What more do you want from me ? ! " * " I know things about him . Leave me alone and I'll tell you everything . " * She cycled through rage , breakdown , and finally desperate pleading . I scrolled through the messages , completely unmoved . You make your choices , you face the consequences . But I decided to meet with her anyway . She was despicable , sure , but also just another pawn in James's game . A pathetic , hateful piece he'd moved around the board . I needed whatever information she had . More importantly , I wanted James to taste what it felt like when his own carefully placed pieces turned on him . When I saw Michelle again , I barely recognized her . All the glamour was gone . Hollow eyes , skeletal frame , completely broken . The moment she saw me , tears started streaming down her face . But she was still trying to hold onto some dignity . "Maya , I know I was wrong . I know I fucked up ... " " Please , have mercy ... My son is so young . He can't lose his mother . " I wasn't interested in her sob story . Cut right to the point . " When you were destroying my family , did you think about my daughter being young too ? " " When you were living it up on stolen money , where was all this guilt ? " "Let's cut to the chase . You have zero leverage here . But if what you tell me is useful , maybe you'll get a lighter sentence . " Michelle went dead white . After a long silence , she finally spoke . " He has an old hard drive . Password is his birthday , " " There's an encrypted folder labeled ' CZ ... I saw him open it once when he was drunk . " She paused , then revealed the bombshell : " He stole core technology data from InnovateTech Solutions . Filed patents first , then sued them for infringement ... completely destroyed that New Mu Hubby's Second Family 6.696 Chapter 9 company . " I had my people retrieve that hard drive immediately . Breaking into the encrypted folder was like finding a treasure trove : theft orders , forged documents , payment records , even recorded phone calls . James's cold voice on the recordings : " Make it clean . I want David Williams to never recover from this . " The evidence James kept to intimidate his accomplices had become the rope to hang him with . 70 %