Abby paused, a sly, almost mischievous smile tugging at her lips.


    "Ms. Pearce, let me give you some advice," she said, the glint in her eyes unmistakable. "You really shouldn''t waste all your suspicion on women, you know? Men can be just as dangerous-maybe even more so."


    She shot Haynes a sideways nce. "You better watch out for yourself, Mr. O''Brien. Someone might take advantage of that pretty face of yours.”


    Jasper knew exactly what Abby was insinuating, and his temper red. He was ready to storm over, no longer concerned about keeping up appearances now that Ste and Haynes were divorced.


    But before he could make a move, Haynes''s cool, clear voice cut through the tension like a ssh of cold water. "Jasper," he said, "what exactly do you think you''re doing?"


    Jasper jabbed a finger at Abby, scowling. "This woman has a filthy mouth. She needs to be taught a lesson!"


    Haynes''s expression twisted with disgust. "And you think hitting a woman is something to be proud of?"


    Jasper froze, suddenly aware of the attention they were drawing. People had started to gather, some pulling out their phones to record the scene. After all, a shouting match on the steps of city hall was bound to attract a crowd-and plenty of spection.


    Chastened, Jasper backed down.


    Meanwhile, Haynes turned to Ste, his tone suddenly serious. "Keen''s running a fever. Aren''t you going to check on him?"


    Ste''s face remained impassive. "I''m not going back," she replied tly.


    Haynes pressed on. "You''re really not going to assume any responsibility for your own child, just because we''re divorced?"


    She met his gaze, unflinching. "If you want me to look after him, then give me full custody. If Keen lives with me, of course I''ll take care of him."


    Haynes fell silent, his expression clouded and unreadable.


    Abby gave Ste a gentle nudge and whispered, "Star, don''t forget-he still owes you the rest of the money."


    Ste nodded to show she hadn''t forgotten. She turned to Haynes. "Haynes, as we agreed, you still owe me the final payment-nine million. I''d like it transferred


    now."


    At Ste''s words, Rachel, standing nearby, nearly saw red. For a batch of worthless supplements, Haynes was going to give her ten million? Was Ste out of her mind, or just shameless?


    Jasper leaned in, his voice low. "Don''t worry, Rachel. Even if the moneynds in her ount, she won''t be able to enjoy it. Haynes can always find a way to get it back."


    Rachel shot him a skeptical look. "You really think so?"


    A hint of malice shed in Jasper''s eyes. "Oh, I''m sure. She might get the money, but she''ll never get to spend it. Dealing with someone like Ste, who knows nothing about business or finance? Please-we can handle her with our eyes closed."


    Rachel still hesitated. "But they have a child together. Would Haynes really go that far?"


    Jasper scoffed, "If Ste hadn''t pulled those stuntstely, maybe Haynes would''ve gone easy on her. But after what she did, she''s crossed a line. Some of Haynes''s business partners saw his wife getting close with a rivalpany. For all they knew, The O''Brien Group was ying both sides. That''s a serious vition of trust in our industry, and it took Haynes ages to smooth things over. Some of the more paranoid CEOs just cut ties altogether."


    His eyes flicked over to Ste, cold as poison. "Thanks to Ste, The O''Brien Group has suffered huge lossestely. Haynes is furious. He was willing to give her another chance for Keen''s sake, but after this, she''s finished. She has no idea -the only reason she''s still breathing easy is because Haynes hasn''t made his move. Once he does, she''ll find out what real despair feels like."


    Rachel seemed to calm down at that, reassured by Jasper''s words.


    Meanwhile, Haynes was all business. He made a quick call to Benson, instructing him to wire the final payment to Ste.


    Within minutes, Ste''s phone buzzed with a notification-her bank ount had just received a massive deposit.


    She checked the bnce and allowed herself a satisfied smile.


    "Come on, Abby. Let''s go."


    Abby nearly bounced with excitement, even more thrilled than Ste. "Let''s celebrate dinner''s on you!"