Chapter eleven– watch your back

Ethan POV

“Damon,” one of the partners started coldly, “we’ve reviewed the files you sent… and, frankly, we can’t proceed with this contract. Your management appears… incompetent.”

We were in a meeting with the Monevista director and manager, both seated to my right while Damon sat directly opposite me.

The Monevista Group has always been one of the biggest rivals to our company, and Damon had been working tirelessly to secure their collaboration. And here it was… failing spectacularly.

I fought back the grin rising on my lips.

The partner flipped open a folder, and I almost laughed aloud. There it was: photographs of Damon and a woman, in bed, having sex. The bastard quickly grabbed another copy of the folder from the desk, his eyes widening in surprise. My satisfaction doubled.

He wasn’t expecting this—surely not.

The look on his face showed he was trying to figure out who could have humiliated him and ruined months of meticulous planning.

“You’re telling us your assistant Jack might have misappropriated funds?” another partner pressed, voice low, eyes on the folder. “ Because some of the transactions here don’t match the audit reports…”

I watched Damon’s eyes narrow at the man and I smirked. He had no idea how carefully I had planted the trail to make Jack look guilty. Every accusation, every file, every photo had been painstakingly planned to undermine him gradually, to tear him down before he could retaliate.

I had stolen the company proposal meant for Monevista with the help of the workers. Of course, money could do anything. I sabotaged it and framed Damon and Jack before they could find out.

Now, there was no way out. The evidence was clear.

Yet he sat there, shock flickering across his face.

“I wasn't aware of these discrepancies,” Damon said finally, voice smooth but cold. “I apologize for the inconvenience. I promise it won’t happen again.”

I knew Damon. He was burning inside, fighting to hide any sign of weakness, just as father always called it.

I leaned back in my chair, watching him directly. I had worked so hard for this, and it all had to succeed.

“I know these files show errors, but honestly, mistakes are unpredictable and inevitable. We apologize for it,” I added, my tone dripping with little sarcasm, noticing one of the partners raise an eyebrow.

“Mistake?” He spat immediately, trying not to smile. “This is a very serious business deal involving billions of dollars, and you call mistakes inevitable? That’s ridiculous.”

“Damon here,” another said, “promised that merging with his company would be the best decision we could make. We took a huge step to review the company records and history, only to find this.” He raised the folder to Damon—the picture of him kissing a woman in bed, naked.

The expression on Damon’s face was unmistakable. He was furious. He could have exploded and proven to these people he was competent—but he didn’t.

He gave me a deadly glance. I smirked, letting him know I was behind this. Then I turned back to the partners, feeling his gaze burning into me. He should know by now who masterminded this.

The partners murmured amongst themselves.

He slowly rose, letting his gaze sweep the room. His eyes locked on mine for just a second. He couldn’t know how much I hated seeing him composed. I had always wanted to break him, hated his intelligence, his resilience.

“Gentlemen,” Damon said smoothly, “I understand your concerns. But I assure you, your doubts are misplaced. I run this business with precision; these aren’t facts.”

He had worked so hard for this—and he would watch it crumble.

All my absences, missed meetings, and conferences had been my doing. I had been doing all these to buy time. I wouldn’t let this company move forward until I emerged as CEO.

All of this was to prove to father that Damon was incompetent.

Zebulunia… she was another reason to destroy him.

I was enjoying every second.

The partners finally got up, muttering angrily, “This is pure incompetence. We can’t do this.” They left, leaving Damon and me alone.

Their trust in this company had shifted, exactly as I planned.

I couldn’t wait for father to hear the news. A smirk played on my lips as I stared at Damon, who returned a deadly glare I hadn’t seen in a long time.

I chuckled as I stood. “Who would’ve thought Damon Cross would be so bad at losing a contract he worked so hard for?” I said sarcastically, adjusting my suit.

I had just bought a new, expensive suit to witness all of this.

“You devil,” he yelled. “You did all this.” It was more a statement than a question.

The wrath in his voice didn’t make me flinch. I was too excited for that.

“I told you—you would pay for everything. Everything.”

A sudden smirk appeared on his face as he left his seat, hands in his pockets.

I wondered what was amusing him. I stood there, staring at him with no trace of fear or guilt. My goal boiled inside me, fueling my spirit.

“This company has been a legacy for our family for years, and you would stoop so low to bring it down with such petty acts?”

My blood boiled. Was he trying to mock me?

I stood meters away, keeping my stance firm.

“It was all your carelessness and my smartness,” I said sarcastically. “You’ve been favored too much by the company and by our staff. I hate it. I don’t want them to miss you when you’re gone, so your image had to crumble for them to notice.”

“And I fear father might change his mind… you even went ahead and married my bride,” I added with small laugh.

“You rejected her!” he suddenly yelled. “You humiliated her! Now she’s mine, and you won’t let her be—and you attacked her!”

I raised a brow. So he thinks I orchestrated her attack. Not bad. Let him go mad, Damon wasn't a type that loved what belongs to him to get tampered with.

“Oh, you wish,” I muttered, adjusting my stance as I stepped slightly closer, locking eyes with him. “Oh, Damon… you wish. Zebulunia can’t be yours. You guys aren’t meant to be.”

My phone beeped in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the text: my men had found the location where Zebulunia and Damon had been attacked. They wanted to inspect the area to trace the attackers. I had to meet them.

“I can’t stand here and exchange words with you. The worst is yet to start,” I finally said, turning toward the exit.

“Stop there,” Damon commanded. I halted, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to see his mind.

“Watch your back,” he said, smirking—a smirk that told me he had something cooking, something dangerous.