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CHAPTER 14: THE CLOSED-DOOR DEFENSE
publish date:
2026-06-24 02:37:24
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BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 14: THE CLOSED-DOOR DEFENSE
CLARA'S POV Ares did not let go of the silver collar. His thumb remained pressed against my pulse point, trapping the frantic beat of my heart against his palm. The heat of his body pressed into mine, pinning me against the edge of the massive mahogany desk. "Look at me, Clara," he commanded.The low vibration of his voice rumbled against my ear. I tilted my chin up, forcing my gaze to meet his stormy eyes. I refused to let him see the tremor inside me."I did not leak your data, Mr. Volkov," I said coldly. "If I wanted to destroy you, I wouldn't use a blunt instrument like Marcus Vance. I am smarter than that. And so are you."A dangerous smile played at the corner of his lips, but his eyes stayed dead. "You were at my console last night. You bypassed my administrative firewalls. You think because I kept you on my bedroom floor, I forgot what you are? You are a Sterling. Treachery is in your blood."The reminder of the bedroom floor sent a sharp spike of heat through my veins. My m
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 13: THE MORNING AUDIT
~CLARA'S POV~ I had not slept. For six hours, I had lain on the plush rug at the foot of his bed thinking about where he told me we were going and why he suddenly asked the driver to turn back What does he know? Could my father be guilty as charged? What don't I know? all that questions while listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. In the dead of night, the ruthless titan had broken. I had heard him mutter my name into his pillow—not with the cruel, mocking command he used in the boardroom, but with a desperation that sounded terrifyingly like obsession. ------------ "You are late with my coffee, little bird." The deep voice cut through the silence. I froze. Ares was sitting at the edge of the mattress, his dark hair messy, his eyes tracking my every move like a hawk. The daytime mask was already sliding back over his face, cold and unreadable. "It is exactly 6:29 AM, Mr. Volkov," I said. My voice was flat. Professional. Perfect. "Your coffee is waiting on yo
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 12: COLLATERAL TRAUMA
CLARA'S POV Before I could even attempt to move, a heavy force slammed into me. Ares threw his entire weight against my body, driving me flat against the cold marble floor beneath the shadow of the concrete VIP balcony. He shielded me completely, his massive frame acting as a bulletproof vest. The scent of his cedarwood cologne was masked instantly by the sharp, metallic tang of gunpowder. Above us, the VIP balcony sparked. Another flash of muzzle fire illuminated the blackness for a fraction of a second. In that fleeting moment of light, I saw Ares move with a terrifying speed. His hand reached into his tailored tuxedo jacket, pulling a concealed, matte-black firearm. He didn't hesitate. He leveled the barrel into the dark and fired three precise shots toward the upper deck. A heavy thud echoed from the balcony, followed by the clatter of a dropped weapon. The shooter was down. "Move. Now," Ares growled against my ear in a commanding tone. He hoisted me to my feet, his grip on my
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 11: THE STOLEN INHERITANCE
~CLARA'S POV~ "Where is it, Ares?" My voice was a razor-thin whisper, sharp enough to cut through the ambient swell of the ballroom’s jazz orchestra. I turned fully in his embrace, breaking the pleasant facade I had spent the last two hours maintaining. The diamond choker around my neck felt heavier now, suffocatingly hot against the hidden silver collar underneath. Ares didn't even blink. He kept his eyes swept across the room, watching Marcus Vance’s retreating figure disappear into the sea of silk and tuxedos. "Marcus is a desperate man throwing pebbles at a fortress, Clara. Do not let a traitor dictate your composure." "He said you have my mother’s necklace," I demanded, stepping closer, my hands coming up to press against the crisp lapels of his tuxedo. The physical proximity was overwhelming. The familiar, intoxicating scent of his cedarwood and amber cologne filled my senses, making my head spin. "You told me the federal receivers took it. You told me it was liquidated
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 10: THE GALA OF GHOSTS
~CLARA'S POV~ The silk of the midnight-blue gown felt like liquid ice against my skin. It was a masterpiece of design—completely backless, dropping in a daring, cowl-neck drape to the small of my spine. But its true purpose wasn't elegance; it was concealment. I stood before the vanity mirror in the luxury dressing room, my fingers trembling as I adjusted the heavy, five-tier diamond choker around my neck. The brilliant gems caught the light, sparkling with a deceptive opulence. Beneath them, hidden entirely by the thick velvet lining of the necklace, sat a rigid band of brushed silver. Ares’s literal collar. He hadn't forced it on me with physical violence. He had simply left it on my vanity with a note stating that the biometric lock was synced to his personal device, a silent reminder of the contract I had signed to keep my father alive. The cold metal pressed against my trachea, a secret brand of ownership disguised as high fashion. "You look breathtaking, Clara." Ares
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 9: THE ESCROW EXTORTION
~CLARA'S POV~ "Where are they taking him?" The words cut through the sudden silence of the empty boardroom. I didn't care about the rules anymore. I didn't care about the rigid posture or the professional facade. I turned on Ares, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Ares didn't look up immediately. He calmly closed his leather-bound portfolio, the scratch of his fountain pen signing off on the meeting minutes the only sound in the room. When he finally lifted his dark eyes to meet mine, there was no surprise in them. Only a cold, calculating assessment. "You speak Russian," he stated flatly. It wasn't a question. "My mother was a linguist," I fired back, leaning against the heavy mahogany table to steady my trembling hands. "Answer me, Ares. What high-security facility? The court sentence said minimum security. He’s supposed to be in a medical wing!" Ares stood up, towering over me. The proximity brought back the scent of his cedarwood cologne, a suffocating rem
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 2: DAY ONE AT VOLKOV GLOBAL
~CLARA'S POV~ The flight didn't last long enough to quiet the panic in my chest. By the time the matte-black helicopter touched down on the private skyscraper helipad, my fingers were practically frozen to the edges of the leather-bound contract. I kept my shoulders squared as I walked throug
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO PROLOGUE
~CLARA'S POV~ "Going once... going twice... Sold for fifty million dollars to the gentleman in the shadows." The strike of the mahogany gavel sounded like a gunshot in the plush, suffocating silence of the underground room. I closed my eyes, my nails digging into my palms until I broke the sk
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 4: WHAT HE FAILED TO SEE
~CLARA'S POV~ “Watch how low you are, little bird.” His voice came low and cold against my ear, the kind of tone that slipped beneath my skin and stayed there. My reflection stared back at me in the dim light—flushed cheeks, trembling lips, tangled hair spilling over my shoulders. I barely re
BOUGHT BY THE RUTHLESS CEO CHAPTER 3: THE PENALTY CLAUSE
CLARA'S POV When the clock on my desk finally struck eight, Ares didn't say a word. He merely stood up from his mahogany command center, shrugged into his overcoat, and walked toward the private executive elevator. I followed a step behind him like a well-trained shadow, my hands clutching the h
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