MasukChase’s exit isn’t defeat—it’s denial wrapped in entitlement. 🕷️ This chapter reminds us that abusers rarely see exposure as an ending, only a challenge to regain control. The danger now lies not in what’s been revealed, but in what he plans next. Stay alert—this game has turned darker...
Chase's POV:That was it. I had to stop her before she revealed anything else—anything worse—about me to these people.My reputation was hanging by a thread. Every second she stood on that stage with a microphone in her hand was another second closer to my complete social annihilation.The whispers were already starting, spreading through the crowd like wildfire. I could see it in their faces—the doubt, the curiosity, the barely concealed judgment.These were people who mattered. Business associates, potential investors, social climbers who could make or break reputations with a single well-placed rumor. And Veronica was standing there, threatening to burn it all down.I moved without thinking, my legs carrying me toward the stage with desperate urgency. I had to get to her. Had to stop this before it spiraled completely out of control.I climbed the steps two at a time, reaching Veronica's side in seconds. She turned to face me, and I saw it clearly in her eyes... she wasn't afraid.
Chase's POV:The way Veronica was behaving looked like a completely different person. A total stranger I didn't know before.She was never this type. Never the one to talk back to me, never the one to challenge authority or stand her ground.Certainly never the one who would look her father's disapproval in the face and say she didn't care anymore.The Veronica I knew—the Veronica I'd spent over a year molding and controlling—would have crumbled at my threats.She would have begged, pleaded, promised anything to avoid disappointing her father.This version of her? Cold... promising to destroy me with a smile on her face? This was someone else entirely.She changed!I watched her walk away with that tattooed bastard's hand on her back, and something twisted in my gut.Anger, yes. Wounded pride, absolutely. But also something else I didn't want to examine too closely... something that felt uncomfortably like loss.What the hell did those billionaire brothers even do to her?They'd trans
Isla's POV:"You were right, Max." I said reluctantly. I stood on the beach watching him prepare his surfboard, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the sand. He was checking the wax, testing the fin placement, moving with the kind of easy confidence that came from years of practice."The more I try to fix things with Chase," I continued, "the more I try to convince my Dad that I'm worthy... the more they mess with me. It's like I'm feeding some monster that only gets hungrier."Max straightened, turning to face me fully. His blue eyes caught the sunlight, making them almost luminescent. There was no pity in his expression, no condescension... just understanding and something fierce that made my breath catch."There's my girl," he said, a slight smile tugging at his lips, sending an unexpected warmth through my chest."Come on," he continued, stepping closer until he was right in front of me. "Let it out. All that anger you're holding inside, all that tension you've been
Veronica's POV:The moment I walked into the Regency Royale Hotel, heads turned.The party lounge was drenched in gold and crystal—champagne flutes clinking, low music and laughter. It was one of those spaces built to intimidate... to remind you who belonged and who didn’t. I spotted Chase immediately. He sat at the center table. When he looked up and saw me, his lips curved, smirking at me.I took the seat across from him without asking.“I knew you’d come back to my lap, darling,” he said smoothly, eyes sweeping over me. “You look stunning, by the way.”If he had said that three months ago, I would’ve melted.God, how I had yearned for even a single compliment from him. The last year of our relationship had been emotionally exhausting. He'd been extremely bossy, controlling, rude in ways that cut deep and left scars. He'd criticized everything—my clothes, my opinions, my ambitions, my friends. He'd made me feel small and insignificant and lucky that someone like him even bothered s
Veronica's POV:That fucking bastard. I was going to kill him.Before I could stop myself, or I could even think about consequences or alternatives or anything beyond the rage burning in my veins, I hurled my phone across the living room.It hit the wall with a sickening crack, the screen shattering before it clattered to the floor in pieces.Silence.Then reality crashed back in..."Shit," I whispered, staring at the destroyed phone. "Shit, shit, shit."That was the last phone I had.I sank onto the couch, dropping my head into my hands, crushing my own stupidity.Theo moved immediately. He sat down beside me, close... his hand found my back, rubbing slow, soothing circles."Let it all out," he said softly. "It's okay. Just let it out." He was again trying that Eastern philosophy approach on me.But I didn't want to be calm. I wanted to rage. I wanted to scream. I wanted to find Chase Pemberton and make him feel even a fraction of the pain he'd inflicted on me.I looked up, my vision
Veronica's POV:Trigger Warning: This chapter contains themes of emotional abuse, public shaming, manipulation, and coercion.While Max chased Macy down the beach, laughing like carefree children, my phone buzzed in my hand.Theo.I answered immediately. "Theo—"I stepped a little away from the noise, my heart already sinking even before I answered.“Veronica,” Theo said the moment I picked up. His voice was calm, controlled... but I could hear the tension beneath it which was odd for him. “Don’t panic, okay? The situation is… worse than we expected.”I closed my eyes.“Media outlets are starting to circulate the story. They’re claiming we stole the idea. Some are already calling us frauds.” He paused for half a second, then added gently, “The news may have reached your father too. But listen to me—we can fix this. We will fix this.”He said it as if he was reading my mind, anticipating exactly what I'd be thinking.Was I that predictable? Could everyone see right through me that easi







