All Chapters of CLAIMED BY HIS RIVAL FRIEND.: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Here at Banks Holdings, we do more than a pretty face and blazers. We work for every buck we earn.” Elizabeth snarled while darting her eyes at you-know-who. Me, of course! It was a little brief with the design department concerning the newest biggest project at hand. With everyone else seated, I still felt abused by her words. I kissed my teeth while I let my heart thump. I almost talked back, but Jeff's fingers were right in time, they tapped on me, reminding me how useless it was to succumb to her pressure. I swallowed, straightening my shoulders like it didn't get to me. Well, it did. Here I am seated in my office when every other staff member was home and had probably forgotten they were at work today.She had been on my back all day, sending message after message about the UrbanAxis project, demanding changes and pointing out every little flaw in my sketches. I knew exactly what she was doing; looking for any reason to make me look not good enough in front of everyone. She

I paused right there in the doorway of my small office, my body halfway turned toward the hallway. Williams’ eyes shone softly in the warm glow of the desk lamp. They looked darker than usual, deeper, like they carried something heavy he wasn’t saying out loud.“Wait,” he said again, his voice low and steady. “Let me take you there.” His feet took a few steps toward me.His eyes pleaded even more, pulling at something inside my chest. I couldn’t believe he really wanted to do this. Was there ever a time anyone went out of their way for me like this? The thought felt too warm, too good to be real. Gabriel would never! He had a thousand and one reasons not to. It was always the board members this, or the stocks that. I turned my hand slightly and glanced at the watch on my wrist. The hands sat just a few minutes before ten.“It’s… It’s late, Williams. Don’t worry, I will manage.” I forced a smile onto my face, the kind I hoped would make him drop the idea already and let me go alone.

I sat in my study with the laptop open in front of me for hours, yet I had not been able to complete a single task. My hand lay on the mouse, the cursor stared back, mocking me. It had been days since Maya walked out of the mansion, and the quiet in the house felt heavier than before. I had waited, threatened, yet each day passed without a glimpse of her, not even a single call from her. In the four years I had known her, Maya had always been the perfect, submissive wife. She listened to everything I said, not once did she ask any questions. When I told her to stop working and stay home, I had thought she would revolt, but she pestered me a little at first, but it wasn’t anything that one loud yell from me wasn't enough to make her quiet down. I had yelled, telling her it was for her own good, for our own good. The doctor said she needed rest, enough of it as stress was the major suspect of her miscarriages. She had accepted that. She always accepted what I told her. But no

The woman who stared back from the mirror, she looked nothing less than an artwork carved from the choicest of woods. A masterpiece. I almost didn't recognize myself, the new black dress sat on my body like water on cracked throat. It wasn't the very best, most expensive, designer type of wear, but with the way the material clung to every curve of mine, with the way the color highlighted my skin tone, I looked too gorgeous and I know it.I was loving this look a little bit too much, because this was the Maya Delaney that Gabriel took away from me. This was who I used to be before he slid that band of bondage onto my ring finger. The only thing that was a bit off was my eyes, they were so pale and hurting me too.We had stayed in Williams’ car till the early hours of the morning, parked by the entrance of the hospital. At some point, my head had dropped against the seat and I fell asleep. Williams never woke me. He just let me rest while he stayed awake, watching over me that when I

I yanked harder against Gabriel’s grip, my wrist burning where his fingers dug in. Pain shot up my arm like fire. I opened my mouth to yell again when heavy footsteps sounded behind me. I spun a little, maybe the walking faucet had finally shown up. Hello! It wasn't him.But Williams! He stepped in fast. His tall frame moved between us in one smooth motion. He grabbed Gabriel’s wrist with a strong hand and twisted it sharply, forcing him to release my arm. The sudden movement made Gabriel stumble back a step.“Get your hands off her,” Williams said, his voice low and sharp like a blade. Anger flashed in his eyes. His jaw clenched tight, the muscles standing out. “Touch her again and you’ll regret it.”Gabriel straightened up quickly, rubbing his wrist. A nasty smile spread across his face. He looked Williams up and down, then glanced at me with that same gloating look. “You think you can just take what’s mine?” He stepped closer, his chest puffing out. “Maya Delaney-Steele is still