All Chapters of Two Can Play: I Became My Ex's Mother-in-law : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ClarissaThe paper stayed untouched on the wood between us.Drake’s knuckles locked up, skin stretching white over his joints as he grabbed the edge of the table. He took two fast steps back, his heel catching the fringe of the rug. His chest hitched like he ran five miles in dress shoes."I'm not signing this," he spat. His voice cracked right down the middle, ringing off the glass panels. "I'm not giving you eighty percent of my firm. I built that company from nothing. You don't get to hand it over to yourself like some prize."Look at him trying to hold a stand on something we built together. “You're forgetting something Drake, I gave you everything I could for the growth of that business, making me an equal owner, but you dared—” The words trail off as I clenched hard at my sides.He gripped his briefcase, squeezing the leather handle until the seams creaked under his weight. Sweat dripped off the point of his chin, dropping onto his polo collar, but he pulled his shoulders back

DrakeI grabbed Mr. Desmond by the sleeve of his suit jacket before he could take another step toward the entrance. My grip tightened on his expensive fabric, my knuckles straining while I forced a tight smile onto my face."The audit issue was just an administrative glitch," I said, my voice rough from four cups of cold espresso and zero sleep. "We clear the port logs by Friday, Desmond . Our yield jumps twenty percent before Q3. You know how the numbers look."Desmond pulled his arm out of my hand with a swift jerk, smoothing down his wrist cuff without looking me in the eye. "We'll see where the board lands after tonight, Drake.""Look at me," I snapped, stepping directly into his personal space, my leather soles sliding on the polished floor. "I built that platform from the ground up. You don't pull out now over a minor delay."Three other investors in the circle stepped back, their faces turning flat and distant. Desmond didn't even reply. He stared past my shoulder, his gaze

ValentineMy phone buzzed against the table, vibrating three times beside my scotch glass.Brittany’s name flashed across the screen for the twelfth time since midnight. I tapped the red icon, killing the call, and slammed the glass face down.A hard knock rattled the dining room doors two seconds later.Brittany pushed into the room before the staff could pull the door back, her heels thudding on the floor. Drake ducked in right behind her, his collar crooked, dark circles hanging under his eyes like he had not slept a minute since the gala disaster last night."Dad, you're rejecting my calls!" Brittany snapped, marching straight to the table and slamming both palms down on the linen runner. Her fingers trembled against the cloth. "You can't ruin Drake's life over a misunderstanding at a public event. We're family. We came here to have a proper dinner and clear this up."I leaned back in my seat, keeping my arms crossed tight over my chest. "He humiliated himself.""It was Clarissa!"

ValentineA sharp, panicked yell shattered the quiet."Clarissa!"My phone slipped out of my hand, hitting the hardwood floor with a dull thud. My feet were moving before my brain could process the noise. I bolted through the open glass doors, my shoes tearing up the gravel path leading down to the garden.She was on the ground. Drake was on his knees next to her, his hands trembling as he reached for her shoulders, his face twisted in terror.My knuckles cracked as my fist balled up. I shoved Drake hard across the stone, sending him tumbling backward onto the grass."Get your hands off her!"Clarissa was curled into a tight ball on the cold stone. Cold sweat covered her forehead, pasting stray locks of hair across her face. Her lips were drained of color, shaking violently as her teeth dug into her lower lip. She was gasping, short, ragged breaths dragging through her throat.I dropped to one knee, sliding my arm under her knees and the other behind her back."Clarissa," I rasped, my

ClarissaGlass shattered down the hallway.The sharp crack cut through the dark, followed by the heavy thump of something rolling across the rug and hitting the hardwood floor.I flinched, my eyes snapping open. I was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, my palm resting flat against my stomach where a low ache kept humming. Sleep wasn't coming tonight. Every time I drifted off, the feeling of Brittany’s hands shoving my shoulders played over and over in my head.I reached for my phone on the nightstand, flipping the screen toward my face. The numbers read 2:14 AM before I turned it face down on the mattress.Outside my door, the house was dead silent. No security running up the stairs. No guards calling out. Nothing.My throat burned with thirst. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet sinking into the rug. I slipped out into the cold hallway, keeping one hand against the wall to guide myself down the dark stairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen.I rounded the