Page 189 of My Ruthless Husband

I turn and begin walking again. But just before I reach the elevator, I hear Hal’s voice, firm and cold. “You’re fired.”

I don’t need to look back to know the man is frozen in place, his face ashen.

“Fired?” the man stammers. “But—”

Hal cuts him off. “Don’t speak unless spoken to. As a form of compensation, you’ll receive double what you’re owed, but you need to leave. Now.”

I understood the lawyer’s logic, his concern was valid. But what he doesn’t know is that I never put profit before innocent people’s livelihood. I had no intention of leaving those employees without jobs. I could’ve reassured them, could’ve promised them new roles within the company before the layoffs were even announced. But I needed them to believe they were discarded. I needed them angry, protesting on the streets.

I wanted the takeover to be as public as possible. Their protests, their outrage, had pushed this case into international headlines. And that was exactly the outcome I wanted.

I wanted everyone in the world to know about my victory.

As I step into the elevator, I turn and lock eyes with my assistant, watching him hesitate just as he’s about to board. He freezes mid-step, unsure of what he should do. Hal, striding in our direction, notices this and quickly reaches out, grabbing my assistant’s bicep to stop him. His grip is firm, pulling him back before he can step inside. Hal looks at me with a silent question, asking if I want him to stay outside with the rest of them. I give a small nod, and without another word, I press the button to close the doors.

Once the doors close, I reach for my tie and yank at it, loosening it before I start unbuttoning the top two buttons. My hands tremble like they always do after my nightmares. However, this was new as I never had one in the day.

Taking a deep breath, I tell myself, I did it. I finally did what I’ve waited twenty-four long, hellish years to do. For the firsttime in all those years, I can almost breathe without hurting again.

But I know this isn’t the end. I’m still far from my goal, but this victory has pushed me several steps closer.

Even so, it can’t bring my family back. Nothing can. And that truth claws at me, tearing away at whatever humanity I have left. But that’s fine. I’ve already buried that part of me.

They took everything from me, and I will make each and every one of them pay. Slowly. Brutally. Piece by piece, I’ll watch their worlds burn—watch them burn—until they’re nothing but charred ruins. No escape. No mercy. Every last one of them will suffer in ways they can’t even begin to imagine.

I was weak then—helpless. Just a child, lost and discarded, an orphan tossed between foster homes. But not anymore.Not anymore.

The softness I once had in me, the love, the care died with my family and the remnants was beaten out of me, stripped away until all I knew was cold fury. Loathing. Hatred. And an insatiable thirst for vengeance that burns hotter with every breath.

Time has changed now. But not by a miracle. I worked hard for it. And now, I hold the world in the palm of my hand. Every single one of them—the ones who destroyed my family, or stood idly by as it happened—will pay. No one escapes. Not a single soul will be spared. I’m halfway through it already.

Years of discipline, of honing my mind and body, have turned me into a sophisticated man. But no amount of training can erase the animal inside me, the one who thrives on watching them squirm. The man I’ve become might wear a tailored suit and speak in controlled tones, but deep down, there’s a savage beast who takes pleasure in the fear I instill, in the way their sweat stains their skin when they realize they’re powerless.

The elevator dings. I step out, already plotting my next move, the cold thrill of revenge buzzing under my skin like an electric current.

The game has only just begun.

???

I’m on edge, wired, since I returned from court. I can’t tell if it’s finally hitting me that I’ve taken over their empire—or if it’s the nightmare I had earlier that’s digging into my mind, making my skin crawl. Either way, something’soff, and I can feel the control slipping—and that is unacceptable.

I don’t lose control. Ever. I’ve built my entire existence on dominance—on power. I’m the one who commands, the one who decides. My every move, every step, every breath is calculated. People bend to my will, and I make them bend without a second thought. I never let anything slip. But right now, this feeling crawling under my skin, gnawing at my insides, is a reminder that I’m human—vulnerable in a way I can’t allow.

I’ve been barking orders all day, the words coming out like clockwork, but they don’t satisfy me the way they should. I’ve been drowning in coffee, pacing the length of my office, trying to fight the growing pressure in my chest. There’s sweat on my forehead, and it disgusts me. I don’t sweat. I’m not weak. But today, everything is closing in on me, and I can’t fucking shake it. The air feels thick. The silence in the room feels too loud. I can’t breathe, can’t focus.

I glance at my watch. It feels like the hands are stuck, frozen in place, waiting for me to lose patience. My fingers twitch, desperate to make the seconds move faster. But they don’t.

I reach for the phone, dialing the London branch with ruthless precision, trying to latch onto something, anything, that will distract me. I need to regain control. Now.

It doesn’t help. For the first time in my life, focusing on work doesn’t help me calm down. I unbutton the third button in haste, barely listening to the person on the other end.

I’m barely hanging on, fighting the rising panic clawing at the back of my mind, when the door to my office opens. I turn, ready to snap. But then I see her.

River.

She stands in the doorway like some kind of dream I’ve been craving without even knowing. Her pale green eyes lock onto mine—those eyes, so fucking soft, making it impossible to look away.

She looks like she’s been brought into my world from a different one—porcelain skin, flawless and creamy, a soft, pink mouth that hints at sweetness, and loose, glossy curls falling around her face like some angelic crown.

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