She rang the bell. A butler—somehow, Tom had gotten more pretentious in the intervening years since their marriage—opened the door. The man did an admirable job smothering the surprise on his face. He inclined his head and gestured for her to follow him to Tom’s private office. The morning’s article had been picked up by the national press.

“You would have nothing without me—” Tom yelled into the phone. “You bastard.”

Anna sat in a deep brown leather chair in front of his desk. She would wait as long as necessary to have this conversation. The room was no longer as impressive as it had been the first time she’d walked into it.

Tom must wish there were still phones to slam down, but he made up for it by throwing his cell phone onto the desk when the other person hung up on him. His collar was loose, tie almost off, and his hair disheveled. His face looked like a manufacturing error in a Ken doll, a sneer formed by melting plastic.

“You bitch.”

She sat taller in the chair. She used to be good in a fight, but her years with Tom had worn her down. She had thought that if she retreated, he would lose interest, but John had been right. The battle didn’t go away when she decided not to fight. The opposition grew stronger. She had been a fool, and she had brought her friends down with her. Now she would end it.

“You should’ve hidden your business dealings from me.”

“I never imagined you’d use it.”

“Hmm. You know, I had the same thought recently about something. What was it? Oh, yes, some deeply personal photos.” She shrugged. “These things can get out.”

He scowled at her like he was ready to climb over the desk and strangle her.

“This ends now, Tom. I have more where that came from.” Anna’s heart rate rose at the thought. “I know where the early money came from. Giorgio always liked me. All those New York steakhouses—you think I didn’t understand what was going on?”

“You don’t have any proof.”

“I don’t need proof. All I need are rumors and a reason for them to investigate you. You’ve made a lot of enemies. They will be happy for any reason to pull you down.”

Tom shook his head.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Anna said. “You’re going to leave me and my friends alone. I have enough ammunition to take you down for good. If the IRS knew where to look, you’d be moving into a federal penitentiary next year.”

He jerked his head back. “You’re blackmailing me?”

“How am I doing so far?” She grinned. “Don’t forget I have your middle school pictures. Your mother always liked me.”

Tom raised his eyes to the ceiling. “What do you want?”