[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322724E0B-551":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},551,13,"Chapter 13: Pinned to the Velvet Rug","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Olivia Hayes felt her world tilting on its axis. Ethan had only been gone for a few weeks—how could he possibly be engaged already?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And to Grace Ellis, no less? A woman who had been her fiercest rival in the industry for years. It was absurd.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had convinced herself that Ethan was merely throwing a tantrum, that he was still the same man she could mold and manipulate at will. She had banked on the idea that with enough pressure or a well-placed ultimatum, he would eventually crawl back to her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But now, the situation had spiraled completely out of her reach.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ethan stared at her, his expression a wall of icy detachment. \"My private life is none of your business. Don't come looking for me again.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ethan!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As Ethan turned his back on her without a second glance, Olivia dug her fingernails into her palms. A sharp, stinging pain bloomed in her chest, far more potent than the frustration of a failed contract.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Olivia?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damon Meyer reached out, his hand hovering, desperate to capture her freezing fingers in his.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Olivia recoiled as if she’d touched a live wire. Her rejection was slight, but it was absolute.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damon’s hand hung in the air, his composure fracturing. A flicker of something predatory and dark ignited behind his eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He thinks that just because he’s hooked a shark like the Ellis family, he can act however he pleases?\" Damon sneered. \"Don’t worry. I have plenty of ways to make him fall in line.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If he won't listen to reason, I’ll have to resort to a more physical approach.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Olivia’s lashes fluttered, her voice raspy. \"Don't go too hard on him. I just need him back in the kitchen. He needs to finish the collaboration for the Robertson account.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The words felt hollow, even to her. She couldn't tell if she was worried about the deal, or if she was terrified of the tiny, flickering shard of regret buried deep in her heart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damon let out a jagged laugh. \"Of course. I know my limits.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Olivia didn't see the jealousy and malice curdling in his eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">How could he possibly let Ethan go?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That useless wretch—how dare he make Olivia look so shattered, so lost? Damon didn't want a negotiation. He wanted to snap Ethan’s pride in two, to watch him crawl at his feet like a dog.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ethan watched Grace pull away in her Maybach, his silhouette fading into the Portsmouth night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He wanted to walk the familiar boardwalk alone, to taste the crisp, salt-tinged air of freedom he’d been denied for so long. But as he turned into a shadowed corner, the peace was shattered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Several dark figures lunged from the gloom. Before he could shout, a heavy sack was thrown over his head, and he was dragged into the back of a black sedan.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When he finally hit the floor, he was in a sprawling villa. His hands were zip-tied behind his back, and a gag bit into the corners of his mouth.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damon sat on the sofa directly in front of him, legs crossed, swirling a glass of deep crimson wine with careless elegance. He looked down at Ethan with a mix of utter contempt and dark amusement.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stood up, paced over, and crouched down, ripping the cloth from Ethan’s mouth. \"What’s wrong? You hook a big fish and suddenly you think you’re untouchable? You think you can look down on us?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ethan swallowed the metallic tang of blood in his throat, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips. \"Is this really all you have, Damon? Such low-rent, bottom-feeder tactics?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Damon’s expression hardened. He lunged forward, grabbing Ethan by the jaw and squeezing until the bone creaked. \"The best tactics are the ones that work. I’ll give you one last chance: get back to South City, fix the Robertson deal for the Hayes Group, or else...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You think the Ellis family can protect you? I could crush you like an ant.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He leaned closer, his voice a gravelly hiss of promise. \"Do you want to see if I can make sure those delicate hands of yours—and that precious tongue that tastes every seasoning—never work again?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was a raw, naked threat, delivered with a twisted sense of exhilaration.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ethan’s jaw throbbed with agony, but he forced a smile filled with jagged, unyielding hate. \"Keep dreaming.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bang!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before he could finish, a flash of pure rage crossed Damon’s face. He drove a heavy, iron-fisted punch straight into Ethan’s gut.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272910485]