Chapter 5

Ethan laughed when he saw the pepper spray.

"Chloe, who are you trying to scare with that toy?"

"I dare you to spray me."

"I’ll sue you for assault and take every single penny you have!"

His mother chimed in, "Exactly! You little bitch, you want to fight?"

"Tyler, teach her a lesson!"

Tyler had been waiting for this. He stepped forward. "Chloe, don't make this hard on yourself. Give me the car keys, or I'll make you."

I gripped the pepper spray, calculating the distance.

But before Tyler could grab me, Ethan stepped in and held him back.

"Tyler, don't use violence. We are civilized people."

He turned his phone screen toward me and smirked.

"Chloe, do you remember these?"

I looked at the screen.

It was a photo of me right after a shower, wrapped in a towel, wearing a face mask.

Although it wasn’t explicit, the angle he took it from was extremely suggestive and malicious.

I feigned panic. "Where did you get that? What do you want?"

Ethan was extremely satisfied with my reaction.

"Nothing much. But if you don't agree to our terms..."

"I will send these photos to your company's Slack channels."

"And your building's WhatsApp group. And your college alumni network."

"The headline will be: *'High-flying corporate female executive leads a double life, trying to seduce her boyfriend's younger brother.'*"

"Do you think you’ll still have a job after that? Will you even be able to show your face in public?"

I sneered inwardly.

He called *that* an intimate photo? Seducing his brother?

His logic was truly pathetic.

But on the outside, I kept up the act of a terrified victim.

"Ethan, you are despicable! This is illegal!"

Ethan laughed out loud.

"Illegal? We were dating. It's just a little couple's fun. How is that illegal?"

"But I don't want to ruin you completely, Chloe."

"So, in addition to the apartment and the car..."

"You will sign a promissory note."

"Five hundred thousand dollars. As compensation for the emotional distress you caused me over the past three years."

"Sign it, and I’ll delete the photos."

Ethan’s mother’s eyes turned green at the mention of half a million dollars.

"Yes! Five hundred thousand! Not a penny less!"

"With that money, Tyler can pay his wedding deposit!"

Tyler smirked. "Just sign it, Chloe. Buy your peace."

"Otherwise, if the whole internet sees your body, how will you ever find another man?"

I hesitated for a moment.

"Fine. I’ll sign. But you have to promise to delete everything."

Ethan immediately pulled a pen and paper from his bag.

He had come prepared.

The note was written exactly to his specifications:

*“I, Chloe Miller, due to personal relationship disputes, voluntarily agree to pay Ethan Carter $500,000 as compensation for emotional distress.”*

I signed my name.

Ethan’s grin was so wide it almost reached his ears.

"See? If you had cooperated earlier, we wouldn't have had to do this."

"Now, go pack your bags."

Looking at his triumphant back, a cold smile crept onto my face.

Extortion. Blackmail. The amount involved was half a million dollars.

In this country, that’s a grand larceny extortion charge. That’s ten years in federal prison, minimum.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Ethan frowned. "Who is it?"

"Movers," a loud voice called out.

Ethan blinked and looked at me. "You called movers? Well, at least you’re quick."

He opened the door.

Four burly men in matching professional moving uniforms stood outside.

The leader looked at his clipboard. "Are you Ms. Miller?"

Ethan pointed at me. "She is. But I’m in charge of this place now."

"You guys are here to move stuff, right? Move everything from the master bedroom down to the basement storage."

The mover ignored Ethan and looked directly at me.

"Ms. Miller, as per your request, we are clearing out the entire apartment, correct?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Pack up everything. Except for the people and the trash. Take it all away."

Ethan froze.

"What do you mean clear out the apartment? Chloe, what are you doing?"

I walked to the entryway.

"It means I’m moving out."

"And as for you guys..."

"Since you love this place so much, you can enjoy living in an empty shell."

Ethan panicked.

"No! Stop! You can't take the furniture! If you clear the place, how is my brother going to get married?"

He tried to block the movers.

The lead mover, a six-foot-three giant, easily shoved Ethan aside with one arm.

"Sir, do not interfere with our work."

Ethan’s mother immediately threw herself onto the floor, preparing to scream and cry.

But a mover placed a massive wooden crate right next to her, almost pinning her foot down.

"Watch out, lady. We’re moving a heavy cabinet here."

Ethan was crimson with rage. He pointed his finger at me.

"Chloe Miller! Don't tempt me! I will leak the photos right now!"

I pulled out my phone and waved it.

"Go ahead. And while you do that, I have some files to send to your company."

"For example, the audio recording of your extortion just now."

"And a photo of this signed promissory note."

Ethan’s face went pale. He clutched the note in his pocket, his eyes turning vicious.

"You set me up? Tyler! Lock the door!"

"Nobody leaves this apartment today!"

"If you want to play dirty, let’s go down together!"

The movers stopped, startled by the sudden escalation.

I was slightly surprised.

I didn't expect them to be stupid enough to attempt false imprisonment.

"Chloe, I wanted to leave you a way out," Ethan snarled.

"But you chose death."

"If you don't wire the half-million dollars right now, you aren't leaving this room!"

The atmosphere turned incredibly tense.

Suddenly, a loud, heavy banging rattled the front door.