All Chapters of RUTHLESS: Chapter 31 - Chapter 37

How much money does it take to buy the silence of a man who swore an oath to protect your family? Maren watched the television screen in total disbelief as the disgraced guard adjusted the microphone and glared at the billionaire standing mere feet away. The man she had tried to protect from termination just days ago was now the very weapon Desmond planned to use to sever her from her nephew forever. "I worked inside that penthouse and I saw the truth behind closed doors," the former guard declared to the sea of flashing cameras and shouting journalists. "They pretend to be a loving couple for the cameras but they sleep in separate bedrooms and barely speak to each other when the public is not watching. Mister Cole fired me because I knew too much about their fraudulent arrangement and he wanted to silence my testimony." The press corps erupted into a frenzy of hostile questions and accusations that drowned out the ambient noise of the city plaza. Journalists who had praised Gideon

"You stripped away my dignity and broadcast my deepest vulnerability to millions of strangers without asking for a single ounce of my consent," Maren shouted the exact moment the heavy metallic doors of the private elevator slid open. Gideon stepped into the pristine foyer wearing the tailored suit he wore during the televised broadcast, though the dark confidence radiating from his broad shoulders felt far heavier now. He walked toward the center of the spacious living room with slow predatory strides while his slate gray eyes locked onto her flushed face. "I secured the permanent safety of your family and destroyed the man who tortured your sister for years," Gideon countered with a booming voice that vibrated through the high ceilings of the penthouse. "I used the exact weapon required to dismantle his public narrative before a judge could issue a warrant to remove the boy from this home. You get to keep your nephew because I made a tactical decision on that courthouse plaza." "Y

Never build a fortress around a wounded heart unless you are prepared to watch the walls trap you inside with a predator. The sprawling penthouse became a tense battleground of avoided glances and unspoken desire over the next twenty four hours. Maren navigated the pristine rooms with deliberate caution to avoid the magnetic pull of the billionaire tracking her every movement. The memory of his dark confession hung heavy in the air and made every shared space feel dangerously small. Gideon remained inside the secure wing working on his corporate strategies while giving her the physical distance she demanded. He did not issue any new commands or attempt to close the gap between them after their explosive confrontation. The quiet atmosphere felt less like a truce and more like a predator waiting in the shadows for the perfect moment to strike. Maren found herself looking for his towering frame every time she entered a room despite her fierce desire to maintain her independence. She ha

"I spent weeks building barricades of legal clauses and pride, but they crumble like dry clay the second you look at me," Maren confessed while stepping deeper into the dim glow of the reading lamp. She stood before the massive mahogany desk like a fortress waving a white flag of surrender to a conquering king. Gideon froze in his leather chair with his pen hovering above a stack of corporate files as if the earth had suddenly ceased to spin."You walk into my sanctuary wearing nothing but a whisper of silk and expect me to maintain my restraint," Gideon replied with a dark rumble that vibrated through the heavy wooden desk. His slate gray eyes tracked her slow approach with the ravenous focus of a starving wolf spotting a lamb stepping with willing feet into his den. "Are you seeking comfort from the nightmare we survived today, or are you surrendering to the gravity pulling us together?""Comfort is a luxury for cowards who fear the storm, and I am choosing to dance in the rain," Ma