I first saw Owen Black at a business summit three months ago. The moment I laid eyes on him, I felt he looked like my son. The longer I looked, the stronger the resemblance became.

After that, I had a paternity test done. It confirmed the boy wasn't mine. I used the three months that followed to conduct a thorough investigation.

By now, I had a detailed file on Owen Black.

He and Lois had been high school classmates. He later went abroad to study. After returning to the States, he married into the Hargrove family, becoming a live-in son-in-law to a powerful dynasty.

Vivienne Hargrove, the heiress of Starfall Media Group, was Owen's wife.

And he hadn't just been carrying on an affair with Lois. The flash drive held the proof. Some of the footage had been captured from perfect angles, recording every detail of Owen's infidelity with crystal clarity.

The color drained from Owen's face, inch by inch.

"If Ms. Hargrove saw these videos, how do you think she'd react?"

Owen wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Logan, listen, it takes two to tango. I'm a piece of shit, I admit it. But Lois is no saint either."

"She reached out to me first."

"We're both men here. You know how hard it is to turn down a woman who throws herself at you."

"Since we're both men," I said, "then you understand what it feels like to be cheated on, don't you?"

Owen's expression turned even uglier. He understood perfectly.

Because he'd married into the Hargrove family, he had no power over Vivienne. She kept no shortage of men on the side. But reality was cruel that way when the balance of power was this lopsided. Vivienne could play around. He couldn't.

Maybe the two of them had some kind of arrangement, an unspoken agreement to look the other way. But with these videos in my hands, the equation changed entirely.

All I had to do was leak the footage. It would be a public humiliation for Vivienne, and she would have no choice but to respond.

Owen clearly understood this.

"Logan, name your terms. Anything within my power, and I'll make it right."

I glanced at my teacup. He scrambled to pour me more water.

"I've been reading a lot of those billionaire CEO novels lately. I'm no billionaire, but I figured I'd try out what it feels like to have someone kneeling at my feet."

Owen's face twisted, but he got on his knees.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

I backhanded him across the face, left then right, one after another. "Director Black, am I breaking the law by hitting you?"

Owen forced a grin. "If anyone else hit me, that'd be assault. But when you do it, Logan, it means you think I'm worth the trouble."

"Smooth talker. That earns you a few more."

Owen didn't dare flinch. He took every blow.

I looked down at him. "Now let's talk business. I pulled Lois's bank records. Over the years, she transferred a total of a hundred and six thousand dollars to you. That sound about right?"

Owen's face darkened. "That's right."

"I won't gouge you on interest. Round it up to a hundred and twenty thousand. Any problem with that?"

"No problem. None at all." His answer came fast.

"How long until it hits my account?"

"Three days. Three days, tops."

"Good boy. Almost makes me feel bad slapping you around."

I said it with a smile, then cracked him across the face a few more times before finally standing up and heading for the door.

"Logan, the videos..."

I turned back. "That depends on how you behave."

Owen's expression was grim, but all he could do was watch me leave.

After leaving Owen's place, I headed to the office. Whatever rage I'd had, I'd burned through all of it the day I found out the boy wasn't mine.

Now it was about recovering what I'd lost and getting my life back on track.

Lois was destined to become a thing of the past.

What I hadn't expected was that when I got home after work that evening, Lois was still there.

And she wasn't alone. My parents were there. Her parents were there.

Both sets of in-laws had prepared a lavish spread. Two bottles of fine wine sat on the table.

Lois's eyes were rimmed with red. She'd clearly been crying for a long time.

"Logan, we were just waiting on you." She hurried toward me, reaching to help me out of my coat.

I stepped away from her with open distaste. So she'd been the one to call both sets of parents together.

I was curious about what came next. I wanted to see exactly what she planned to do with everyone gathered in one room.

I went over, greeted both sets of parents, and sat down.

Lois rushed to sit beside me. She picked up a piece of braised sausage with her chopsticks and placed it in my bowl. "Your favorite. Try it."

I shoved the entire bowl off the table. It hit the floor, and the atmosphere in the room turned to stone.

My father glared at me. "Are you done?"

Lois jumped in immediately. "Dad, it's my fault. Don't blame Logan. It's all my fault."

She wiped at her tears as she spoke, looking for all the world like she'd suffered some terrible injustice.

"Logan, Lois told us everything." My mother looked at me and continued, "This isn't her fault."

"Your father and I understand you're upset, but Lois is the victim here. You're her husband. You should be standing by her, not pushing her away."

"Victim?" I glanced at Lois in surprise. "I'm a little confused. Could someone tell me what exactly she said?"

My mother looked at Lois. "Lois, you haven't told Logan yet?"

"I... I..." Lois glanced at me, then dropped her gaze. "I didn't know how to tell him. I was afraid he wouldn't believe me."

"Don't worry. Your father and I know you're a good girl." My mother gave her a few reassuring words. "Since it's hard for you to say it, let me."

"Logan, the child really isn't yours, but it wasn't something Lois chose."

"The year you two got married, her classmates all came to the wedding. Afterward, she got together with some of them for a reunion."

"One of those animals got her drunk on purpose. Lois was assaulted while she was intoxicated."

"She'd just married you. She couldn't face what had happened, let alone tell you. No one imagined she'd end up pregnant with that man's child."

My mother's expression was grim as she spoke. She clearly didn't want to accept any of this either.

She went on, "Nobody wants something like this to happen. It's understandable that Lois was too scared to tell you at the time."

I stared at Lois, my face hard.

Her tears came faster. "Logan, I'm so sorry. I was just so terrified. I was afraid that if I told you, you'd want a divorce."

"Who was he?" I asked, my voice cold. "The animal who did it."

Both sets of parents turned to look at Lois.

I spoke again. "I have a right to know who hurt you. If you give me a name, I'd like to use every connection I have to make him pay."

My mother-in-law jumped in. "Lois, Logan has a wide network now. Tell him. Maybe he really can get justice for you."

"I... I..."

Lois stammered, her sobbing growing louder and louder.

"You won't say his name. Are you trying to protect him?"

"Logan, what kind of thing is that to say?" My father slammed his palm on the table.

"Lois doesn't want to relive that part of her past. That's understandable." My mother stepped in quickly to smooth things over. "Let's eat first. She can tell us when she's ready."

I said nothing. I quietly took out my phone and called Owen.

"Come to my place. I don't need to give you the address, do I?"