He let go of the envelope and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his chest.

“You think you’re the one pulling the strings here,” he said.

“I have the leverage,” I said.

“You have a weapon,” Elias corrected me. “But you don’t know who bought the bullets.”

He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto mine.

“Who do you think gave you those files, Ava?”

I kept my face completely blank. “I have my sources.”

“You have Daniel,” Elias said flatly.

I didn’t blink.

“Daniel is a very loyal friend,” Elias continued, his voice dripping with venom. “To himself.”

“He wanted to do the right thing,” I said.

Elias laughed. It was a sharp, barking sound that made my spine go cold.

“Daniel doesn’t know how to do the right thing,” Elias said. “He wants this company.”

He tapped his finger on the desk.

“If these documents go public, the board will indeed remove me,” Elias said. “But do you know what happens to my shares?”

I frowned, a sudden knot forming in my stomach.