tangled supplier contracts, and looming IRS audits. He was in over his head and had no idea.Meanwhile, my new business bloomed. The staff who had always had my back followed me, this time treated with the respect they deserved. We thrived, free from the toxicity that once poisoned our workspace. Six months later,

I bumped into him. He was unemployed, bitter, and full of blame. He asked if I orchestrated it all for revenge. I looked him in the eye and said, “Not revenge—just consequences.” He thought he was taking everything from me. But he never realized: I was the business. And that was his biggest mistake.