Chapter 5

Serena's eyes landed on the scattered photos. The color drained from her face instantly.

Her hands trembling, she picked up the evidence file. The further she flipped through it, the harder her body shook. When she got to the contract with the red thumbprint, it was like she'd been struck by lightning. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.

"What… what is this…" She looked up in disbelief, eyes locked on Noah, her voice cracking into something raw and desperate. "Noah! Tell me this isn't real! You were with me because you loved me — right?! That's the only reason — right?!"

Noah panicked. He snatched the contract out of her hands, and every trace of arrogance vanished from his face, replaced by sheer terror.

He spun toward me, jaw clenched, and snarled. "Dominic! You said if I got her into bed, you'd give me ten million and set me up abroad! You gave me your word!"

"My word?"

I walked toward him slowly. My gaze cut into him like a blade, and the pressure I was putting off hit him like a wall.

"I'm supposed to keep my word to a dog who'll hump anything for money?"

Noah faltered under the weight of it. He stumbled back two steps — then rage overtook fear. He raised his fist and swung it at me. "I'll kill you!"

I didn't move. I just said, quietly, "Try it. See what happens. Take a look outside and tell me whether those dozen bodyguards out there will leave anything of you worth burying."

Noah's fist stopped dead in midair. He turned to look out the window. Somehow, without any of us noticing, the villa's courtyard had filled with bodyguards in black suits, stone-faced and still, surrounding the entire property with no way in or out.

That was when Serena finally broke.

She launched herself at Noah like she'd lost her mind, clawing and scratching at him. "You bastard! You lied to me! You were only ever after the money! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Noah shoved her away with an impatient push, and Serena slammed hard into the sofa, her forehead splitting open and bleeding.

I stood over them, watching this ugly little spectacle play out. No satisfaction. Just disgust.

"Enough." My voice came out cold and sharp.

The room went silent. The only sound was Serena's muffled sobbing.

"Serena, I'm giving you two options."

I walked over and crouched down in front of her, meeting her terrified eyes head-on.

"Option one — sign the divorce papers and walk away with nothing. Take your lover and get out."

"Option two — I hand everything over to the courts and the press. You won't just lose your reputation. You'll go to prison for hiding marital assets."

Serena clutched my pant leg with both hands, tears mixing with the blood running down her forehead. She looked completely broken.

"Dominic, I was wrong… I'm so sorry… Please forgive me. He tricked me, I swear. I know you love me. You love me so much — how could you do this to me?"

"Love?"

I grabbed her jaw and forced her head up, making her look at me. Five years of hatred and rage burned in my eyes.

"You think I spent three years waiting on you hand and foot because I loved you?"

I leaned close to her ear and said each word slowly, through gritted teeth: "Every single day I looked at your face, I felt sick. I wanted to tear you apart — you and your murderer father — piece by piece."

Serena's eyes went wide, like she was staring at a stranger. A monster. "What… what are you talking about?"

"Five years ago, on the ring road, a black Maybach hit a woman who was carrying a birthday cake. She died. Your father Richard didn't stop. He sped away. Then he paid someone to take the fall for him."

My voice was ice-cold, like it was coming from somewhere far underground.

"That woman was my mother."

"And I am the sole heir to the Harrington Group, Dominic Harrington."

Serena froze completely. She stopped breathing.

She stared at me like something inside her had gone hollow. Her hands slowly released their grip on my pant leg.