All Chapters of Two Hopeless, Four Ruthless: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Oh, can't win a fight, so you're calling for backup? I heard you on that phone. You called a man, huh?" Portia let out a mocking laugh. "More like a sugar daddy, I'd bet."She snatched the phone from my hand and hurled it to the ground. "What, one idiot husband isn't enough for you? How many men have you got stashed on the side?I stared at the shattered phone on the floor and drew a long breath. "Ms. Beaumont, I'm going to say this one last time. You've got the wrong person. Walk away now and take your people with you. I'll pretend none of this happened."Portia burst out laughing. She turned to the guests who had gathered to watch the spectacle. "Did you all hear that? Some homewrecking little tramp is telling me to leave!"A ripple of laughter rolled through the crowd."Ms. Beaumont, mistresses these days really have no shame.""Right? She even brought her dimwit husband along as a cover. I've never seen anything like it."Portia closed the distance in her towering stilett

Chapter 2

The bodyguards shoved Iver and me onto the red carpet in the center of the banquet hall.Portia walked to the stage and raised her voice above the murmur of the crowd. "Everyone, may I have your attention?"The room went silent in an instant. Every pair of eyes turned toward Iver and me.Portia snapped her fingers, and the massive LED screen behind her flared to life. It displayed a blurry photograph taken from behind. The woman in the photo wore a white couture gown and was stepping into a black luxury sedan.Portia pointed at the screen, then at me."This woman right here is the homewrecking slut who seduced my husband. She's married, and she's still out here fooling around, dragging her idiot husband along as a shield. Does she really think everyone in Crestport is blind?"She swept her gaze across the audience. "Take a good look. Tell me that isn't her."I happened to be wearing a white dress that evening as well. Anyone in the room with a remotely trained eye could have see

Chapter 3

The banging continued, each impact heavier than the last. "Ms. Tanner, are you in there?"Every head in the room snapped toward the doors. Hope surged through me. They were Calder's people, the ones he had stationed in Crestport. They had come.I wrenched myself free from the bodyguards and screamed toward the doors until my voice cracked. "I'm in here!"Relief flooded through me, and I screamed again with everything I had. "I'm here! Save Iver! Hurry, save him!"Portia's expression shifted, then settled into something even more contemptuous. "So, your sugar daddy actually showed some spine and came? How touching."She smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt and let out a cold laugh. "A pack of gutter rats who wouldn't dare show their faces in broad daylight, and they think they can storm a Beaumont party? They must have a death wish."She snatched up her radio, her voice dropping low. "Security team, riot squad, I want everyone mobilized. Beat those thugs within an inch of their li

Chapter 4

Ronan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His gaze moved back and forth between me and the photograph on the screen. All he had to do was say he did not know me, and this entire farce would end.He said nothing. His gaze dropped, deliberately avoiding mine. When he lifted his head again, his face had rearranged itself into an expression of deep regret. "Ms. Tanner."He let out a sigh. His voice was smooth and measured, but something cruel ran beneath it. "I've told you before. There's nothing between us. There never can be. Why do you keep coming after me? You followed me all the way to my wife's banquet just to make a scene?"The blood drained from my face. My entire body went cold. My voice shook. "What did you just say? Have you lost your mind? I've never even met you!"Ronan did not look at me again. He turned away and took Portia's hand in his."Portia, I'm sorry. She's been pursuing me for a while now, and I was too soft-hearted to shut her down completely. I shoul

Chapter 5

Four tall, imposing silhouettes stepped through the ruined entrance, backlit against the light beyond. The man at the front was my older brother, Calder, the most feared name in Kingsgate."Calder..." I could not hold back any longer. The tears came flooding out.Calder's gaze swept over Iver and me. He took in my swollen cheeks, my bloodied hands, and Iver's lifeless body crumpled beside the electromagnetic platform. His expression went dark. "You're dead."His men moved instantly. The butts of their weapons came down hard on the backs of the two bodyguards pinning me. Two sharp cracks rang out. The bodyguards screamed and collapsed, their spines shattered on impact.I was finally free. I scrambled across the floor on my hands and knees and threw myself over Iver."Niamh! Save him! Please, save him!"The woman behind Calder wore a crisp white medical coat and carried a silver emergency kit. She was Niamh, Iver's older sister, the surgeon whose hands could bring back the dead.S

Chapter 6

"Who are we?"The woman standing on the far left pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She wore a sharply tailored suit and carried a thick stack of documents in her hand. She was Cordelia Langford, Iver's oldest sister and the undefeated queen of the courtroom.She walked up to Portia and threw the documents directly in her face."My name is Cordelia Langford. These are the Tanners. And I'm the lead prosecutor you'll be dealing with from this point forward.""Langford? T-Tanner?" Portia's legs gave out beneath her, and she crumpled to the floor.Those were the Langford and Tanner families of Kingsgate, two dynasties rumored to control both sides of the law and wield more wealth than most nations. They held the highest medical and legal resources in the country at their fingertips.She had assumed the whole thing was a desperate bluff, a lie I had made up to seem important. It had never crossed her mind that all four of them would descend upon Crestport in person, just t

Chapter 7

News of the Beaumont family's total collapse spread across Crestport before sunrise. The dynasty that had once seemed untouchable saw its assets wiped to zero overnight, buried under a mountain of debt. Portia's father was taken in for investigation on multiple counts of financial fraud.As for Portia and Ronan, Calder's people had dumped them in the most remote abandoned warehouse in Crestport.I did not go back to Kingsgate with the others. I wanted to handle this myself.The warehouse reeked of rot and mildew. Portia was bound to a chair, her hair a tangled mess and her cheeks swollen beyond recognition. There was nothing left of the imperious heiress who had ruled the banquet hall only hours ago.Ronan was curled up in the corner, covered in bruises."Ms. Beaumont."I looked down at her."You said it yourself. In Crestport, even a life has a price tag. So, tell me, what are you going to offer for yours?"Portia stared up at me in terror, thrashing against her restraints. "M

Chapter 8

In the premium VIP suite on the top floor of the hospital, the only sound was the steady beeping of medical equipment. This was the Tanner family's private hospital.I pushed the door open and stepped inside slowly.Iver was propped up against the hospital bed. His face was still pale, but his breathing had evened out. A new defibrillator had been implanted in his chest, and thick layers of bandages were wrapped around it.He turned his head at the sound of the door. His eyes, which usually looked distant and vacant because of his condition, lit up the moment they found me."Millie." His voice was faint and a little hoarse.I fought back tears, crossed the room in quick strides, and took the hand he held out to me. "I'm here."I pressed my face into his palm, letting the warmth of his skin sink in. "I'm sorry, Iver. This is all my fault. I should never have dragged you to that banquet..."If I had not been so restless and eager to crash a party, he would never have gone through

Chapter 9

I gently eased him back and looked into his eyes. "Why would you say that?"Iver lowered his gaze slightly, his lashes casting faint shadows across his pale face. "They... hurt you."He meant Portia and Ronan."I... couldn't protect you." His voice was laced with guilt and frustration.He had taken that slap for me, but he had been powerless to stop everything that came after. He could not even keep himself alive, let alone shield me from harm.A deep ache spread through my chest. I cupped his face in both hands. "Iver, you did more than enough. You took a hit for me. You never left my side. As far as I'm concerned, you're the bravest person in the world."Iver shook his head, stubborn as ever. "Not enough."He raised his head, and there was something in his eyes I had never seen before."I want to... get stronger. Like Calder... and Lance. Protect Millie."His earnestness made me laugh, but the tears came at the same time and I could not stop them."Okay. My Iver is going to

Chapter 10

One year later, at Tanner Group's headquarters in Kingsgate, I was sprawled across the couch in Lance's office and scrolling through my phone."Millie, honestly, could you try having even a shred of ambition?" Lance finished the stack of documents on his desk, picked up his coffee, and walked over to me. "Iver's been working at a company for six months now, and you're still here mooching off me."I rolled my eyes without an ounce of shame. "My husband earns the money. I'm just responsible for being the beauty by his side. What's the problem?"Lance laughed in spite of himself. "Fine. You win."The past year had brought changes in Iver that no one could have predicted.He had graduated from the immersive business management program at the top of his class. He still did not talk much, and he still had no taste for socializing. What he did have was an extraordinary instinct for data and an almost uncanny sense for business.Cordelia and Niamh had handed him the venture capital arm o

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