The past was long gone, and he had no concrete evidence.
Sophia Sullivan had indeed saved the Winston family from ruin.
Back then, he had been at his wit's end. When that contract was placed before him, the weight crushing his chest suddenly lifted.
Yet Liam Winston's jaw remained tense.
"The Winstons owe you a debt, but you did all this willingly."
His voice was icy, though old rumors flashed through his mind.
It was said that Sophia had once waited half a day at Sullivan Corporation. Ethan Sullivan only appeared after an excruciatingly long meeting.
No one knew how that bottle of perfume had secured their partnership.
Only that she had spent an entire afternoon alone in his office.
The gossip had spread like wildfire.
The most vicious version claimed she had knelt and begged for hours.
Liam's Adam's apple bobbed. "The compensation is more than enough. We're even."
Chloe Evans sighed at just the right moment.
"Sophia, credit is one thing, but mistakes are another." She blinked innocently, her words laced with venom. "Just because things turned out well doesn’t erase the ugliness of the process, does it?"
She deliberately softened the word "ugliness."
"Besides, back then, you couldn’t even read financial reports. What else did you have besides perfumery? How could Mr. Sullivan have been so easily swayed?"
Every word insinuated that Sophia had used underhanded means to climb the ranks.
Sophia's gaze turned glacial, but before she could speak, Ethan Sullivan lifted his eyes.
"Miss Evans, if that tongue of yours is unnecessary, I’d be happy to cut it off and feed it to the dogs."
Chloe whipped her head around, meeting Ethan’s frost-laden stare.
His gaze was like a blade pressed to her throat.
Her nails dug into her palms as she forced composure. "Mr. Sullivan, you must be joking. I’ve never spread rumors—"
Ethan cut her off with a derisive laugh. "You love stirring up scandals. Why not let the whole city see how you wormed your way into another woman’s home while her engagement was still intact?"
He propped his chin lazily on his hand, his tone calm yet terrifying.
"If that’s not entertaining enough, I can ensure your little escapades with your ex-husband abroad—photos included—make headlines on every street corner."
Each word was casually spoken, yet they struck like thunder.
Chloe’s face drained of color.
Ethan tapped the table lightly with his knuckles. "The media loves a juicy scandal. Don’t you agree?"
Her teeth chattered. Not another word escaped her.
This man held the reins of public opinion. Turning the tides was child’s play for him.
And those photos… they were stains she could never wash away.