My third thought, unbidden and unwanted: I can’t wait.
6
Daniel
I’ve been gripping the steering wheel hard for the last twenty minutes. My knuckles are white, and my jaw is clenched so tight my teeth ache.
I fucked Trevor’s sister.
I hired Trevor’s sister.
I can’t stop thinking about Trevor’s sister.
The highway blurs past. I’m driving too fast, weaving through traffic with recklessness that would make my lawyer nervous. I don’t care. My phone buzzes in the cup holder, but I ignore it.
It buzzes again. And again.
The ringtone starts. Stops. Starts again.
I glance down. Lottie’s name flashes across the screen. She has called four times in the last ten minutes.
I pull into a rest stop, my tires screeching slightly as I brake too hard. The parking lot is mostly empty, with just a few semis and a family loading into a minivan.
I grab my phone and answer.
“What?”
“Where have you been?” Lottie’s voice is sharp. “I’ve been calling for an hour.”
“I was at an event. What’s the emergency?”
“Cassidy.”
Fuck.
“What about her?”
“She dropped a new piece thirty minutes ago. It’s already trending.”
I close my eyes and count from ten to one. “What does it say?”
“Hold on. I’m sending you the link.”
My phone buzzes. I open the article.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: THE UNRAVELING OF DANIEL WILLIAMS.
Former partner speaks out about erratic behavior, controlling tendencies, and the volatile billionaire investors don’t see.
I scan the article. Each paragraph is worse than the last. Cassidy is quoted extensively, describing mood swings, paranoia about loyalty, late-night calls where I allegedly ranted about people betraying me, and claims I became “someone completely different” behind closed doors.
She describes detailed, specific incidents that sound plausible even though half never happened. A dinner where I supposedly berated a waiter until he cried. A weekend trip where I allegedly threw my phone across a hotel room and put a hole in the wall.
A conversation where I told her I trusted no one, that everyone was trying to destroy what I’d built.
There are quotes from “unnamed sources close to Williams” confirming the behavior, colleagues who requested anonymity, and business associates who’ve “seen the cracks.”
The article paints a picture of a man barely holding it together—someone who presents well in boardrooms but is volatile, unstable, and potentially dangerous when the mask slips.
