Zane
Sadie was gone, her presence lingering in the air like a phantom limb. I stood in the centre of the penthouse, my heart still a furious drum against my ribs. Her voice, thick with humiliation and fear, echoed in my mind. The image of her shaking, her eyes full of tears that she refused to let fall, was a brand on my soul. A low, guttural growl escaped my lips, a sound of pure, unadulterated rage. He had touched her. He had made her feel small and powerless. The scum had no idea what he had just unleashed.
I walked over to my desk and picked up my phone, my fingers flying over the keypad. "Mark," I said, my voice dangerously low. "The plan is a go. I want to ruin him. Not just his career, his entire life. I want to see the fear in his eyes when he realises he has nothing left."
"Yes, sir," Mark said, his voice calm and steady, a testament to his years of working for me.
"I want his company investigated. I want every single dark secret he has exposed. I want his family to disown him. I want his wife to leave him. I want him to know what it feels like to lose everything. Start with the offshore accounts. He won't know what's coming until he's staring into the abyss."
"I understand, sir. We'll start working on it immediately."
I ended the call and walked back to the window, my eyes scanning the city. She had come to me, to the monster, to the shadows, for protection. And I would give it to her. I would burn down the world if I had to, just to see her smile again. She was the one thing in my life that wasn't dark and twisted, and I would protect her innocence with every fibre of my being.
I felt a sense of calm settle over me, a chilling, profound tranquillity. He had messed with what was mine, and now he was going to pay. He would be my first lesson to her. I wanted her to know that my threats weren't just words, that my promises weren't empty. She had chosen to step into my shadows, and now she would see what they were capable of. The darkness in my heart was a beast, and it was finally free.