All Chapters of RUTHLESS: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

A golden cage remains a prison even when the warden claims he locked the door for your own survival. Maren stared at the sleek black mobile device resting on the marble island while a profound sense of suffocation tightened her chest. She pushed the expensive phone back across the smooth surface without picking it up."I will not carry a digital collar that broadcasts my coordinates to your security monitors day and night," Maren stated with a tremor of defiance in her voice. "I am your wife on a piece of legal paper but I am not a corporate asset you can micro manage from a control room. I refuse to let you strip away my basic right to privacy.""That device is a secure lifeline designed to keep you breathing when Desmond sends his operatives to take our nephew," Gideon countered while his jaw hardened into granite. "You mistake my protection for a cage because you refuse to acknowledge the lethal reality waiting outside these walls. You are a primary target and I will not leave your

"Treason never breaks down the front door with a weapon because it prefers to walk right past the guards dressed as a polite gift," Gideon stated while staring at the flickering digital monitor in his hand. He stepped out of the kitchen and stalked toward the sprawling living area with lethal focus burning in his slate gray eyes. Maren followed close behind him while her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The billionaire bypassed the expensive furniture and headed straight for a massive arrangement of white lilies resting on the marble center table. Colm had brought the flowers up earlier that afternoon with a congratulatory card from a rival board member. Gideon grabbed the crystal vase and hurled it onto the hardwood floor without a single second of hesitation. The heavy glass shattered into a thousand jagged pieces while water and crushed petals splashed across the expensive rug. Maren gasped and shielded her face from the flying debris before watching Gideon drop

How do you hunt a traitor who knows all your tactical moves before you even make them? The dawn broke over the city with a cold gray light as Maren stared at her reflection in the bunker mirror. She buttoned a tailored charcoal suit that screamed wealth and power to prepare for the corporate slaughter ahead."You do not have to walk into that tower with me if you feel unready to face a room full of deceptive lawyers," Gideon said while fastening his silver cufflinks. He stood behind her with a posture forged from pure steel and calculated vengeance. "I can flush the spy out on my own and bring you the results before noon.""We agreed last night that I am taking a seat at your war table to fight these battles by your side," Maren answered while turning around to meet his dark gaze. "Our enemies need to see that the woman wearing your ring is just as ruthless as the man who placed it on her finger. I will not hide in this bunker while someone on your payroll sells my nephew to the oppos

"Do you honestly think I care about corporate strategy when a man traps you in a locked room and threatens to ruin your life?" Gideon demanded while his warm breath brushed against her lips. "I want to tear apart anyone who makes you feel an ounce of fear and you stand here defending your reckless bravery like it is a game." "It is not a game because I am fighting for my survival just as hard as you are fighting for your empire," Maren breathed out while refusing to break eye contact with the furious titan looming over her. "You want me to rely on your protection but you refuse to see that I am capable of standing beside you in the fire." "I see exactly what you are capable of doing," Gideon growled while his dark gaze dropped from her defiant eyes down to her parted lips. "You drive me to the edge of madness with your stubborn pride and I cannot endure another second of this distance." His hands slid from the polished wood of the table to grip her waist as he crushed his mouth aga

"Turn the volume up right now before he destroys everything we fought so hard to protect," Maren demanded with a trembling voice while her eyes remained glued to the glowing television screen. She clutched the edge of the velvet sofa as Desmond approached the wooden podium with a triumphant smirk plastered across his handsome face. Gwen scrambled to grab the remote control and amplified the sound just as the corrupt billionaire tapped the microphone to command the attention of the swarming journalists. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I stand before you today to expose a massive fraud perpetrated against the family court system and the general public," Desmond announced in a booming voice that echoed across the municipal steps. He held a thick stack of papers high in the air for the flashing cameras to capture the bold legal text printed on the front page. "Gideon Cole claims to be a devoted husband, but I possess the physical contract proving his sudden marriage is nothing more t