LOGINKatherine sat quietly in the front passenger seat as Damien drove beside her. The silence in the car was heavy. She still couldnât quite wrap her head around how sheâd ended up here.Earlier that evening, Myles had mentioned, almost casually, that someone was outside asking for her. Katherine had been confused. No one ever came looking for her unannounced. She hadnât been expecting visitors, least of all today.So when she stepped outside and saw Damien standing beside his parked car, sheâd been surprised. Heâd told her calmly that he was taking her clothes shopping, specifically for the dinner that evening.Sheâd been stunned.Politely, sheâd declined, explaining that she already had something to wear. Sheâd thought that would be the end of it, but it wasnât.Ariana had burst out of the house loud and dramatic as always, declaring that Katherine was lying and absolutely did not have a dress.Before Katherine could protest, Ariana had turned to Damien, folded her arms, and announced
Chapter Seventy-fourâThe first is a lady,â Damien continued, âOne of my staff, and I want her death to be brutal. So brutal that her corpse wonât even be recognizable. But it must look like an accident, because there was a witness when she offended me. Thatâll be the first job,â he added flatly. âIt must be carried out immediately. The moment I end this call.âStone said nothing, listening.âShe has something that could ruin me,â Damien went on, jaw tightening. âI donât want it getting anywhere near the media. ShââHe broke off abruptly.A thought struck him. What if she was lying?Damien frowned, dragging a hand through his hair. But doubt didnât calm him, it enraged him.What if she wasnât lying? He clenched his fist.He wasnât about to take chances. Not after sheâd torn him apart with her mouth. Not after sheâd said Massimo was better.âBoss?â Stoneâs voice came through the line, cautious. âAre you still there?ââYes,â Damien snapped. âFinish her.âHe inhaled sharply, then continu
âThat was total bullshit!âDamienâs voice thundered through the executive hallway as he stormed out of the elevator. âHow dare that little brat disgrace me and my company like that? In my own boardroom! And those stupid, spineless delegates, grown men stood there, letting a child talk down on me!âBehind him, his personal assistant, Alisa, followed at a careful distance. She kept her head slightly bowed, her tablet clutched tightly to her chest. One wrong word could easily turn his rage on her, and she knew it.The moment Damien appeared, the hallway reacted. Staff members froze mid-conversation, then scattered instantly, hugging walls, ducking into offices, pretending to be busy. Everyone had heard, everyone knew that the little CEO of Kathanâs Group had humiliated their mighty CEO.Damien reached his office and shoved the door open with such force it slammed against the wall, startling his staffs. He slammed the door shut just as violently behind him.Instead of heading to his chair
Meanwhile, at Vortanâs Group.The boardroom, usually a place of rigid control buzzed with murmurs. Executives from Vortanâs Group sat alongside the delegates of Kathan Group, yet none of them were focused on the documents spread neatly before them.All eyes were on the same person.The women in the room whispered openly now, no longer bothering to hide their astonishment. Even the seasoned older men of Vortanâs Group, men who had negotiated billion-dollar deals without flinching seemed incapable of closing their mouths as they stared at the small masked boy seated in the executive chair meant for the CEO of Kathan Group.Earlier, one of the senior executives from Vortanâs Group had risen abruptly, slamming his palm on the table.âThis is outrageous!â the man had barked. âYou have no right to sit there. That chair belongs to the CEO of the mighty Kathan Group. Such insolence, such disrespect!âThe room had gone silent.Then, calmly, one of the Kathan delegates had stood up.âWith all d
Katherine and Ariana sat on the bed in thick silence.Katherineâs voice had gone hoarse by the time she finished narrating everything that had happened earlier with Massimo. For a long moment, Ariana didnât say a word. Then suddenly, she exploded.âWhat the fuck, Katherine!â Ariana snapped, shooting to her feet so fast the mattress dipped. âYou know what Iâm going to do, right now? Iâm going to that freaking office right now, and youâre not stopping me.âShe was already reaching for her shoes.Katherine lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. âNo, Ari, donât. Please donât,â she said quickly. âHeâs not worth it. And besides⊠Iâve resigned. Iâm done with that place.âThis was exactly why she hadnât wanted to tell her. Ariana loved fiercely, recklessly. She didnât know how to let things slide when it came to Katherine, and she would burn the world if she had to.Ariana turned back to her. âSo because you resigned, he gets away with it? Because I donât think so.âHer voice rose as the ange
11:00 a.m. Katherine exhaled sharply, her gaze fixed on Massimoâs empty chair for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. He wasnât in the office yet and that was unusual. Massimo was never late, not like this. If he was going to be, heâd usually send a quick message. Yet today, nothing. His schedule clearly showed back-to-back meetings, there was no free slot but the chair across from her remained vacant.Her hand hovered over her phone again. She had sent him a message hours ago, a simple check-in, but it sat there, unread, or worse, ignored. Twice she had called him, her finger trembling slightly as she hit âcall,â only to be met with silence. A knot tightened in her chest.A tiny voice of panic whispered: What if somethingâs wrong? What if something bad has happened?They hated each other, yes, but that didnât interfere with professionalism. Not today. Today, they had a crucial meeting with the CEO of Kathan Group, a partnership theyâd been working toward for months. Dami







