D X Chapter 27 I blocked him . " You want to see her ? Close your fucking eyes and imagine what she looked like before someone tried to kill her . " He bristled . " Don't start . I'm not the one- " " You're not ? " I leaned closer . " Then who is ? You think I don't know you've been poking where you shouldn't ? You think I haven't heard about your mess with the Lambert funds and the silent shares she uncovered ? " He blinked , once . Twice . I grinned without humor . " Thought so . " He stepped back a little . " You can't go around accusing people without proof . " I stepped forward . " I don't need proof to dig a grave . I just need motive . And you , brother , you got more of those than fucking scars on your soul . " His jaw clenched . " You're losing it . " " If something happens to her , " I whispered , low and cold , " wait and see how deep your grave will be . " " I'm not- " " You better pray I find someone else's fingerprints , Torren . Because if I don't , I swear on the blood in my family , I'll make sure the last face you see is mine . And I won't be here as your rival . I'll be here as your reaper ." He turned and stormed off . But he didn't say anything else . Didn't look back . Because he knew . I'd tear the world apart for her . And I just might have to . ** I pulled every connection I had , and I mean every damn one . Bribes , blackmail , favors I was saving for my own funeral … gone in a heartbeat . I didn't sleep . I didn't eat . I didn't breathe unless it was for her . Therese was in a coma and nobody was giving me answers . So I made my own . hired a private team . Off - books , no paper trail , loyal to the bone . Ex - cops , ex - military , ex - criminals who owed me blood . I had them at the crash site before the sun rose , even though the place had already been sanitized and burned to hell . But they found it . A sliver of paint , black , wedged into her door like a needle . And the dent on her frame , it wasn't from impact with the rocks . It was angled . Clean . That car wasn't out of control . It was rammed . He Left Me for Dead Now He Beas Me for Mercy 1/2 70.9 ס X Hard . Deliberate . Her seatbelt had been sliced clean , like someone wanted her thrown . The others in the car ? Burned or vanished . No trace . No names . And no one in the media even bothered to ask who the passengers were . Because someone paid to keep it quiet . Then came the tip . An anonymous text . No number . Just a location and a timestamp . Someone saw a black car tailing hers hours before the crash . I traced the source , dug deeper , and found him . The driver . I didn't call the cops . Didn't hand him over to the security team . I picked him up myself . Quiet . Clean . No noise . Dragged his ass straight into the Langford estate's old wine cellar . That place hadn't seen sunlight since my grandfather tortured spies for the war . Now it was mine . Reinforced steel doors . Soundproof walls . Concrete soaked in more secrets than blood . I tied him to a chair . Plastic zip cuffs biting into his wrists . He was shivering before I even said a word . Reeked of piss and sweat . A coward's scent . I lit a cigarette , stepped into the dark , and cocked my pistol . The sound echoed like a death sentence . " Why the fuck was your car behind hers ? " I asked , voice low . He started shaking his head before I even finished . " I didn't know who she was , man . I swear . I was just told to scare her . Just a bump . That's all . " " You scared her into a coma ," I said . I stepped closer , crouched down to his eye level . " Now scare you into hell . " His eyes went wide . " No , no please ! I was paid , that's all . Just a job . A tap . It wasn't meant to- " " Who paid you . " " I don't know . It was a burner phone . Messages only . " " You think that saves you ? " I took the safety off and pressed the barrel against his kneecap . " Last chance . " " I'm telling the truth ," he sobbed . " They didn't say names , just instructions . But the last drop - off , the cash , it was with a woman ." " What woman . " " I don't know her name . She wore black , pearls . Older . Expensive car . I thought she was just a rep , man , please- " " Name , " I snapped . " Now . " Chapter 27 TL L IL 47 % He squeezed his eyes shut . " Massaro . It was the old woman . The matriarch . I heard someone call her that . She was there , alright ? But I don't know anything else . I just took the cash . I swear , I just- " pulled the trigger . Right into his leg . He screamed , loud , raw , like an animal in a cage . Blood gushed across the stone floor . I stood up and flicked the cigarette away . It landed near the puddle of gas I'd spilled on purpose . Just a reminder . " You think you get to live after touching her ? " I asked , almost calm . " You think you get mercy for almost killing the only person I give a fuck about ? " He was sobbing now , gasping , begging . " Please , please , I told you everything . It was her . Mrs. Massaro . I swear . That's all I know- " I shot him between the eyes . Silence dropped fast . I stared at the mess on the floor , then holstered my gun and walked out . No hesitation . No guilt . Just a vow . She wanted to destroy Therese . Now I destroy her . And I don't stop till the whole fucking family burns . ** I called my assistant to arrange a closed - door summit . Told him to make it look like a philanthropic gathering on paper . Charity, sustainability , some feel - good bullshit . Behind the scenes ? It was war council . showed up wearing all black . No tie . No smile . I shook hands , looked every one of those bastards in the eye , and let them feel it that I wasn't here to talk . I was here to end something . Once everyone settled , I walked to the podium and didn't bother clearing my throat . I just said it straight . " The Lambert Foundation is pulling everything now from Massaro Pharmaceuticals and Companies . All research funds . All shares . All alliances . Effective immediately . " The silence lasted two seconds before panic hit . One guy actually stood up and started pacing . Another wiped sweat from his bald head like someone had lit a match under his balls . Whispers flew across the table like gunfire . Half of them knew what this meant . The other half were too stupid to figure it out yet . I let them stew for a beat longer and then looked straight at the board president , smiled for Chapter 37 212 91.9 % 11 22:33 Sun , Aug 10 other half were too stupid to figure it out yet . 47 % D X I let them stew for a beat longer and then looked straight at the board president , smiled for the first time , and said , " If the Massaros want war , I'll show them what extinction looks like