“Yes,” James replied plainly. “You could be fined, or worse.
And if you push this lawsuit any further, we’ll bring all of it to light. Do you really want to risk that?”
Another long silence followed, and I held my breath, waiting to see how Brian would respond. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, less sure of himself.
“So, what do you want me to do?” Brian asked, sounding almost defeated.
James took a deep breath, keeping his voice level.
“Drop the lawsuit, Brian. Walk away before this gets worse for you. I’ll make sure nothing else happens if you do that.
But if you don’t, you’re going to lose a lot more than just a case.”
Brian didn’t answer right away, and I could feel the tension in the air as he wrestled with the decision. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he muttered, “Fine. I’ll drop it.”
As James hung up the phone, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
I looked at him, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he just gave me that same easy smile. “I just told him the truth. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.”
“You’re something else, you know that?” I said, shaking my head.
“I’ve been told that before,” he joked, standing up to refill his coffee cup.
As I sat there, watching him move around the kitchen like it was the most natural thing in the world, I realized that karma had done its work.
Not in the way I expected, but in a way that felt right.
Brian had been stopped in his tracks, and not by anger or revenge, but by the truth. And maybe that’s how it was always supposed to be.
