LOGINRyder’s POVSMACK!A brutal slap landed on my jaw for the second time today. But this time, the blow came from my father, who was blindingly enraged."Ungrateful bastard!" Victor Vance's voice thundered, shattering the silence of my penthouse courtyard. My foot had barely stepped out of the car before he welcomed me with a ruthless glare and bulging veins in his neck."I bled to build this company, and because of your sheer stupidity... everything is falling apart! Half of the Vance Group assets that I fought to death to secure just fell into the hands of that bastard Richard!" he cursed, his chest heaving.I touched the numb corner of my mouth, staring at him with eyes as cold as ice. "That won't exactly make you a beggar, will it? Consider it karma for all your dirty work over the years.""Karma?" Victor laughed cynically, a sound laced with venom. "Oh... who do you think I did all this for, you idiot? I built this empire for you!""I don't
Ryder’s POVTen minutes had passed since the gavel struck, but I remained frozen in my seat. I ignored the sterile chill of the federal courtroom, the frantic buzzing of the press, and the sheer panic etched onto my father’s legal team’s faces. Victor Vance’s sleazy attempt to bribe the federal judge had imploded, but I couldn't care less.My entire world had narrowed down to a single point: the stunning woman sitting across the aisle at the plaintiff's table.Mary.A brutal wave of longing gripped my chest, setting my veins on fire. After three months of living like a hollowed-out corpse, I was finally seeing her again. She was perfect—breathtakingly elegant, yet lethal.The tension in the room spiked when Richard Collins stood. His voice echoed with cold authority. "Your Honor, I present irrefutable evidence," he declared, holding up a heavy file. "Clear proof that the Vance Group was the mastermind behind the bankruptcy of my company. Victor Vance didn't
Dante’s POV I stood frozen behind the door of Master Victor’s study. From the shadows, I could hear Maddox rushing in, clutching his tablet. "Master," Maddox’s voice sounded tense. "Our team finally managed to track the source of the leaked document. The IP address originated from Switzerland." "Switzerland?" Victor snapped, his voice laced with menace. "Explain. Who dares to do this? Who has the power to breach our security systems?" "They used military-grade encryption, Master. Our IT team couldn't even touch their firewall. They are operating under the umbrella of Kessler Holdings." Silence fell over the room. That name alone was enough to make someone like Victor freeze. "Kessler Holdings? Damn them. Why are they meddling in my affairs? I have no business with them. And why leak the Collins Group scandal to the international media? What do they gain?" I gripped the door hand
Valerie’s POVI stood in the middle of the chaotic penthouse bedroom in my silk nightgown, waiting. Ignoring the pungent stench of alcohol that stung my nose, I stepped forward slowly, watching Ryder toss and turn restlessly in the center of his massive bed. The drug Dante had given me earlier was finally taking effect; the raging lion had stopped cursing and was now trapped in a semi-conscious haze.I climbed onto the bed and gently patted his cheek. "Ryder?"Instantly, his massive hands clamped around my waist. With terrifying speed, he flipped me over, pinning me beneath his large, muscular frame. A sharp gasp escaped my lips."Mary Collins... I miss you, baby. Do you know how badly I want you tonight?" he murmured, his voice dark and intoxicating. "Even if this is just a dream... I want to ruin you, because you've driven me insane this entire month..."Before I could process his deranged confession, his teeth grazed the crook of my neck, sending a v
Ryder’s POVConsciousness hit me like a block of ice. I woke up in a suffocating silence. The space beside me on the bed was cold—empty—a brutal reminder that she was gone.I sat there, motionless. Empty. There was no explosive rage, only a hollow void slowly consuming my sanity. My eyes fixed on the safe hanging wide open in the corner, then shifted to the CCTV monitor. There, I saw her. Mary. She was fleeing my penthouse as if I were a plague she had to escape. She clutched the map, climbed into a taxi, and vanished from my sight forever.With every second the recording looped, my heart skipped a beat; it was shattered into pieces.I stood up, letting the towel wrapped around my waist fall to the floor. My body still bore the lingering traces of her—her scent, her moans, the heat of her skin that I had felt just last night. But that warmth had now turned into poison. I stood before the mirror, staring at a stranger with dead, vacant eyes.I dressed in sile
Mary’s POVI could barely feel my legs as I sprinted from the taxi, bypassing the security gate without a second thought, and tearing across Jason’s front yard. I was panting heavily, my lungs burning like fire. The moment the front door swung open—revealing Jason already standing there waiting for me—my legs finally gave out. I collapsed, but Jason was quick, catching me before I could hit the floor."Mary, what happened?!" Jason asked in a panic, gripping my shoulders and guiding me inside. "Didn't you find the evidence? Did Ryder hurt you?""Jason..." my voice sounded hollow, as if my very soul had been ripped from my body. "All this time, I thought... I thought it was Henry and Scarlett's families who ruined my father's company. But it turns out...""What do you mean, Mary?"Jason snatched the folder from my trembling hands. His eyes darted rapidly, reading line after line of the documents inside. Instantly, his body went rigid. All the color drained from his face."This is i
Mary’s POV"This is impossible..." I whispered, my grip tightening on the stack of documents in my hands."That is all the data I could salvage, Miss," Dante said quietly, his posture rigid. "The Davis Corporation’s financial trails have been wiped clean. Erased from their mainframe before we could
Ryder’s POVThe sound of splashing water filled the space as the shower cascaded down my hair. I was taking a late-night shower, washing the water over my face as my mind drifted back to the chaos on campus. The regional match was only two days away. To anyone else, it might be a major competition,
MARY'S POVThe lecture hall slowly emptied, the chatter fading as students hurried out. I remained standing at my desk, busy shoving heavy textbooks into my tote bag. It was my last class of the day, and Ryder wasn't by my side; he was at the arena, busy sorting out his varsity team paperwork.I co
HENRY'S POVFuck. My head felt like it was going to split open.I threw my gym bag roughly onto the locker room bench. My back muscles screamed in protest after hours of grueling physical conditioning. But the physical pain was nothing compared to my father's lecturing on the phone this morning. Th







