Chapter 6 6

Devaughn paused in the center of the room, the sound of his shoes on the broken glass a chilling counterpoint to the terrified silence. His cold, merciless gaze swept over the trembling Nash family, dismissing them as insects.

Then his eyes found Jeanie.

He saw her on the floor, her face ashen, her hand pressed to her back in a gesture of pure agony. His pupils contracted to pinpricks.

The air in the room seemed to evaporate. The temperature plummeted. The casual arrogance on his face morphed into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury.

Joel Nash, forcing a sycophantic smile, shuffled forward. "Mr. Winters," he stammered, "what a surprise! There must be some misunderstanding-"

Devaughn didn't even look at him. He simply lifted his leg and kicked the heavy marble coffee table. It flipped over, crashing into Joel's shins with a sickening crunch of bone.

Joel screamed, a high-pitched, pig-like squeal, and collapsed to the floor, clutching his shattered legs.

Jaelynn and Denise shrieked in terror, huddling together in the corner of the sofa.

Devaughn strode past the writhing man on the floor and knelt before Jeanie. He reached for her.

Jeanie flinched, scrambling backward. She thought he was here to punish her for last night, for the contract, for everything. Her eyes were wide with fear and defiance.

That small, terrified movement stabbed at something deep inside Devaughn. His expression hardened. He reached out again, his movements now forceful but controlled, and scooped her into his arms.

The familiar scent of cedarwood enveloped her, sharp and clean. Her mind, in a flash of horrified clarity, connected the scent to the darkness of the hotel suite.

She looked up, her eyes locking with his. The chiseled lines of his face, the intense darkness of his eyes-it was him. The stranger in the dark was her husband.

A gasp escaped her lips. The realization sent a tremor through her entire body.

Devaughn felt her tremble and mistook it for a spasm of pain. He looked over his shoulder at the pathetic, groveling form of Joel Nash, his eyes turning to ice.

"Tate," he said, his voice a low command into his comms. "Execute plan 'Vulture' against Nash Industries. I want their credit lines frozen and them completely insolvent by morning."

Tate's voice came back through the earpiece, crisp and efficient. "Understood, sir. The team is moving. The first wave of margin calls will hit their banks at dawn."

Seconds later, Joel's phone chimed loudly on the floor. It was a frantic, urgent text from his CFO, the preview clearly visible on the shattered screen: Winters Group just triggered hostile takeover protocols. We're locked out of all accounts.

"As of this moment," Devaughn announced to the room, his tone leaving no room for negotiation, "Nash Industries is effectively dead. You're bankrupt. Liquidation begins tomorrow."

Joel, ignoring his broken legs, crawled across the floor, weeping, and grabbed the cuff of Devaughn's trousers. "Please, Mr. Winters, I beg you-"

One of Devaughn's guards stepped forward and kicked Joel away, pinning him to the floor with the butt of his rifle.

Devaughn's gaze then fell on Denise, who was trying to make herself invisible. "The drug you used last night," he said, his voice flat. "What was it?"

Before she could answer, he nodded to a guard, who produced a small vial of a heavy, industrial-grade sedative. "I don't need the exact compound," Devaughn said, his eyes devoid of mercy. "I just need you to feel a fraction of her helplessness and terror." Two other guards grabbed the screaming Denise, pried her mouth open, and poured the contents down her throat.

She choked and sputtered, and then the drug took hold. She began to writhe on the floor, screaming at unseen horrors, a grotesque parody of Jeanie's own ordeal.

Jeanie watched, stunned into silence by the swift, brutal retribution. This was the cold, ruthless man she had been married to on paper.

Devaughn's attention returned to her. He shrugged off his own expensive suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around her trembling body.

He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and strode towards the open door.

"Wait," Jeanie struggled, her voice weak. "We signed the papers. The divorce-"

Devaughn stopped. He looked down at the woman in his arms, a dangerous, possessive smile touching his lips for the first time.

He lowered his head, his voice a husky whisper meant only for her. "I tore up the papers. You are mine, Jeanie. In life, and in death."

Without another word, he placed her in the back of his waiting Maybach. He slid in beside her, and the heavy, armored door slammed shut, sealing them inside.