“Emily,” Clara’s voice said.

Her tone was quiet, devoid of the polite warmth she used in public.

“Clara,” I said.

I leaned back in my chair, keeping my eyes on the wet street below through the window.

“I assume you are alone,” she said.

“I am,” I replied.

“Good. We don’t have much time before Daniel realizes I’m not on my way back to the hotel.”

I picked up a charcoal pencil from the desk, turning it over in my fingers.

“Why are you calling me behind his back?” I asked.

“Because Daniel is blinded by his own pride,” Clara said.

I heard the faint sound of windshield wipers in the background of her call.

“He thinks he can bully you into submission,” she continued.

“And you don’t?” I asked.

“I prefer transaction to intimidation,” Clara said.

She paused, and I heard her take a slow breath.

“The files on that drive contain the complete record of the merger valuation,” she said.

“I know what they are, Clara. I read them.”

“Then you know they prove Daniel and I inflated the assets of my late husband’s firm before the acquisition.”