Page 101 of Ravage

"It's not over until I say it's over," I retort, glancing between the two of them. "You might have the patients fooled but that order isn't worth the paper it is written on now."

His eyes narrow at me. "What are you talking about?"

I reach into my pocket, pulling out my ammunition. I unfold the envelope, digging inside for the paper. "Mom really did cover all the bases because she knew what a slimy, manipulative bastard you are. And thanks to your recent stunt, it worked out perfectly. So, who's the predictable one now, Father?"

Stepping forward, I slam the paper down in front of him, watching his face harden as he reads it.

"What is this?" he hisses angrily, glaring at me.

"Consider yourself dethroned as the majority shareholder," I answer, throwing a smirk at Arthur for good measure. "You might have the patients for your experiments, but we're filing an injunction as we speak to block your order. And I don't need to bribe judges to pass it—the merit is there. I'm the majority shareholder now, and according to this, I'm also currently in alucid state of mindto make decisions. Good luck funding the equipment now."

Arthur steps forward, reading the document over my father's shoulder with an angry face. "It doesn't matter," he says quickly. "Now that we have the patients, the contract will remain in force. They will be willing to fund the equipment repairs themselves since it will be worth their while."

"Maybe so," I agree. "But the patients trust me a hell of a lot more than they do you. Once word spreads about the true nature and intentions of your little experiments, they will run. And you can't lock them into the contract. If you agree they have consent to sign, then they have consent to withdraw."

The two of them fall silent, veins bulging on the side of their heads as they radiate anger.

Checkmate, indeed.

I reach forward, snatching the paper off the desk and securely placing it back into my pocket. "Your castle is crumbling, Father. Brick by brick I'm bringing it down. And eventually, in the near future, I'll be free from your prison. You better believe I'll be coming for you."

Turning, I stroll out of the office with a shit-eating smirk.

It's not quite the birthday present I had hoped for, but it's a pretty damn good second place.

I find everyone in the library, gathered around Jillian's laptop.

They look up when I enter, grins breaking across their faces. Avery dashes over first, engulfing me in a hug.

I wrap my arms back around her, resting my chin on the top of her head, glaring at the stunned reactions of the rest of the group. They turn away awkwardly, pretending not to notice.

"We heard you on the live feed," Avery says, pulling back with a bright smile. "You were amazing."

Unable to stop myself, I tip her chin up with my finger, pressing my lips to hers. She kisses me back, and when I feel eyeson me again, I open mine and glare at everyone behind her while pushing my tongue into her mouth.

Grey gives me the thumbs up, shaking with silent laughter as Leighton stares at me gob smacked, quickly trying to distract himself with the wall when my eyes fall to him.

Pulling back from Avery, I grab her hand, leading us to the table. My usual seat is free, and I sit, dragging her onto my lap.

"So, what now?" Byrone asks. "How should we warn the others?"

"We need to start spreading the word," I say. "Find out who has signed a consent form, and we'll visit them one by one."

Avery turns her head to look at me. "I can help," she offers. "And maybe Vivian too. If they don't believe you, we can tell them what happened to us."

"Are you sure?" Theo asks with a hint of concern. "You don't have to relive that."

She nods confidently. "If it will protect other people, they should know. There's no way that they are being upfront about these so-calledtherapy alternatives."

"She's right," Grey answers. "The more information we can provide, the better. We can't risk people taking the gamble. They need to know the full details of what they are trying to do to them."

My hand strokes the top of her leg. "Alright. But stay on guard. Arthur knows we're going to try to intervene. We need to be prepared."

It's nearing the end of free time when Jillian suddenly shoots up straight in her chair, a look of panic on her face.

"Damon, they are taking Smith."

She flips her laptop around so that the screen is facing me at the other end of the table. My eyes narrow as I spot two guards escorting Christopher from his office, his arms held down.

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