02. A Deal Sealed Over Whiskey

ARIELLA…..

The bar was dim, the kind of place where secrets liked to settle into corners. My drink sat untouched in front of me, condensation dripping down the glass like a slow, lazy clock. I didn’t come here for comfort. I came for war.

I spotted him the moment he walked in, Zach Killian Winchester. My ex’s stepbrother.

“God, he looked nothing like Vaughn.” I gasped looking at the handsome man approaching me.

Where Vaughn was polished and performative, Zach looked dangerous.

All sharp edges and effortless arrogance, dressed like he didn’t care but definitely knew the effect he had. He didn’t smile when he saw me. That was fine. I wasn’t smiling either.

He slid into the booth across from me without asking.

Typical.

“So,” he said, eyes scanning me like he was dissecting a puzzle he already knew the answer to. “You wanted to meet.”

I leaned in slightly, voice low. “I want to ruin him.”

That got his attention. His eyebrow twitched, just barely. “Ruin who? You’ll have to be more specific. I know a lot of men worth ruining.” I rolled my eyes at his words.

“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly who I mean.” I took a breath. “Your charming stepbrother. The lying bastard who cheated on me. Repeatedly.”

Zach chuckled, slow and dark. “Ah! Him?”

He sipped his drink like he was toasting the idea.

“I know you don’t like him,” I said.

“And I know he’s always treated you like trash, like some inconvenient afterthought. You want payback. So do I. I think we can help each other.”

There. I laid it out, neat and simple.

Zach swirled the whiskey in his glass, gaze thoughtful. “A partnership,” he said slowly. “ So, Miss Vengeance, that's what you’re offering.”

“Yes.”

He paused. Then leaned in, his voice like velvet and danger all at once. “I have a counter-offer.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Marry me.”

For a second, I thought I misheard him. I laughed, but it came out flat. “Is this a joke?”

He didn’t flinch. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

I stared at him, searching his face for the punchline. It wasn’t there.

He continued, smooth and maddeningly calm. “You want to destroy him. Nothing would unravel him faster than seeing his perfect ex become his brother’s wife. It would humiliate him, drive him insane. And for me… it solves a few problems, too.”

“Such as?”

He smiled—but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s just say, having a wife and Luna like you would be... useful. In more ways than one.”

I should’ve walked out. I should’ve thrown my drink in his face. But instead, I just sat there, heart pounding, thoughts spinning. Because as insane as it sounded, part of me, some dark, vengeful part, wanted to say yes.

Not because I believed in love anymore.

But because I wanted to watch my ex burn.

And Zach? He might just be the match.

Silence stretched between us, thick and electric.

Then I raised my glass. “To unholy alliances.”

Zach clinked his drink against mine. “To make him wish he was never born.”

.

.

.

We signed the marriage papers in a government office two days later. No flowers. No dress. Just my signature and his, inked side by side on paper that bound us tighter than any ring ever could. The registrar barely looked up when she stamped the certificate.

“Congratulations,” she muttered.

Zach slipped the paper into his jacket like a contract he’d just closed.

“This isn’t love,” I reminded him as we walked out.

He turned to me, eyes unreadable. “No. This is war. And now we’re on the same side.”

After the marriage registration I went back to my apartment. I threw myself on the bed and pondered about my life. I had changed myself from head to toe for Vaughn. I was my parents' spoiled child. I was my brother's pampered sister. I was a sassy, strong-headed, egoistic, and bad-tempered girl, exactly the ditto copy of Rosaline Davenport in temper, my grandaunt.

When I went to Germany for vacations where I met Vaughn for the first time and I came to know that he's my fated Mate. I never liked to be marked so I didn't let him mark. When I told Dad about him, I don't know why but Dad didn't like him and told me to reject him and marry the guy he chose for me. I opposed his idea. If he can marry his Mate, why can't I? So I told him I will not reject my mate. Then he told me to choose between him and my mate. And If I choose my Mate over him then he will disown me. I chose my mate and left my home for Vaughn.

It turned out that My Dad was right about Vaughn. He did the same thing his father did in his past. Zach's mother was Alpha Philip’s fated Mate but he left her for Vaughn's mother. If I had married Vaughn he would do the same thing with me because I had heard his conversation with his Mistress. He had the same plan as his father.

When I shifted in his Pack, I got to know his father had put conditions in front of him if he wanted to fight for the Alpha position. He gave him a company that is going to be bankrupt soon. He has made it a successful company. I helped him secretly all these years. I invested in his company and used connections to make it a successful company. I did so much for him to end up getting betrayed.

I think I should talk to my Dad and apologize to him for my mistake. I realised I was wrong back then choosing Vaughn over him. But before reconciling with my father I have to settle scores with Vaughn first. My first blow will be his company that we have been handling together for three years.

.

.

.

I always believed revenge wasn’t loud.

Until now.

I stood at the podium in the Collins Group’s press room—spotlights on me, cameras flashing, journalists leaning forward like wolves smelling blood.

I wasn’t wearing war paint.

Just a simple ivory blazer. No jewelry. No drama.

Because truth doesn’t need decoration.

“My name is Ariella,” I said into the mic, voice steady, strong. “I stand here today as a woman who refused to stay silent.”

Behind me, a screen lit up—showing documents, lab reports, and signed internal memos from Arkwell Skincare, Vaughn’s latest cosmetic venture.

“The newest product line under Arkwell Skincare, set to launch next quarter, contains multiple illegal concentrations of hydroquinone derivatives and steroid compounds banned in most of Europe and North America.”

Gasps. A few audible curses.

I didn’t blink. I didn’t breathe.

“The internal reports provided anonymously, show that not only were these ingredients used knowingly, but human trials were bypassed, safety data was faked, and test results were deleted from their digital records.”

Another slide flipped up.

Vaughn’s signature at the bottom of a buried email.

“Ignore the regulators. Push the launch. A few rashes aren’t going to kill anyone.”

He should’ve known I kept everything.

The next hour was chaos. Questions shouted. Reporters scrambling.

Zach waited outside the room, his face unreadable, a protective storm at my back.

“Do you know what you just did?” he asked as we walked down the hall.

“Yeah.” I smiled, adrenaline still burning in my veins. “I ended him.”

Vaughn’s company stock dropped forty percent before the markets even closed.

The FDA launched an investigation within six hours.

By nightfall, "Vaughn Collins" was trending globally for all the wrong reasons.

I have ruined his public image and pulled out my investments too. He's ruined now. His company will go bankrupt now. His father will be enraged by his stupidity and his Alpha position is at risk now. And now, my final blow. It's on its way. Soon he will be fully ruined.

Vaughn found me two days later.

In the garden outside Collins headquarters. Arrogance gone. Rage simmering just beneath his polished surface.

“You think this makes you powerful?” Vaughn hissed. “You think you’re better than me?”

I turned slowly, sunglasses sliding down the bridge of my nose.

“No,” I said calmly. “I know I am.”

He took a step forward. “This won’t end well for you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Funny. That’s what you said when I walked away from you.”

I stepped closer.

“But now? You’re ruined. Your name’s toxic. Your brand is under federal investigation. You should stop dreaming about the Alpha position. Because you lost the bait.” I smirked smugly.

He opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak.

“I gave you love once,” I said softly. “Now I’m giving you mercy. That was your final warning.”

And I walked away, heels clicking like gunshots on marble, without looking back.

Back at my apartment, Zach poured two glasses of wine.

“You finally burned it all down,” he said, watching me over the rim.

I took the glass from him and leaned against the counter, exhaling for what felt like the first time in weeks.

“No,” I said. “I cleansed it.”

He laughed under his breath. “So what now?”

I met his gaze—his sharp, soft, infuriatingly loyal gaze.

“Now,” I said, “I’m going to use my final blow.”

I twirled my wine glass and took a sip of it. After my final blow Vaughn will be fully ruined and my revenge game will be over.