###Chapter 17
Colin’s roar of “Get out!” didn’t just tear through the air. It ripped away the last scraps of illusion Piper and her parents clung to.
No matter how hard Piper screamed and begged, no matter how her parents shouted in disbelief, Colin didn’t budge. Like a statue carved from frost.
Eventually, Piper was dragged out by her parents, kicking and sobbing. His parents stormed out not long after, faces twisted in fury.
Then the mansion fell still again.
Not peaceful. Just empty.
And there he was-curled in a corner, clutching the worn-out plush star I once left behind, drowning in a silence thick with regret.
But whatever remorse he felt that night was nothing compared to the blow waiting for him the next morning.
His assistant barged into the study like the building was on fire.
‘M-Mr. Marks-bad news! Legal just called-Anneliese Ward’s shares in the Marks Corp…. the ransfer went through yesterday. She sold them. To Victor Keane!”
What?”
Colin shot up from the sofa, grabbing the assistant by the collar. “Whose shares? Sold to who?! Speak clearly!”
All… all of your original shares that Miss Ward held. They’re all under Mr. Keane’s name now!”
The poor man could barely keep his voice steady.
That’s impossible! She would never sell to him!”
Colin’s roar echoed off the walls. Shock, betrayal, rage-they hit all at once, like a dam finally
snapping.
This was the second blow. The second revenge.
And this one cut straight through the bone.
We still… we still haven’t found Miss Ward’s whereabouts. The board meeting’s about to start,
sir,” the assistant murmured.
Colin shoved him aside and stormed out like a beast unchained.
***
Marks Corp’s building. Executive floor. Boardroom.
Colin walked in like a thundercloud ready to burst, fury seeping out of every inch of him.
Across the table sat Victor, calm and composed, as if he’d just woken up from a pleasant dream.
“Victor!” Colin’s voice was raw. “Why the hell are you holding Anneliese’s shares? Where is she?! What did you do?!”
The room went deathly silent. Executives exchanged nervous glances, not daring to move a
muscle.
Victor set his pen down gently, leaned back in his chair and offered a slow, smug smile.
“Mr. Marks, so much anger first thing in the morning. That can’t be good for your blood
pressure.”
His voice was smooth. Unshaken.
‘The paperwork is clean. Legal. Above board. She sold willingly. I paid market price. Are Marks Corp. shares sacred now? Only you get to own them?”
‘Bullshit!”
Colin slammed the table. Cups rattled. “She would never sell to you! You must’ve threatened her What did you do, despicable bastard? Where is she?!”
Victor let out a low laugh, one that chilled the air.
‘If we’re talking about threats and manipulation, Colin, I wouldn’t dare compete with you.”
He leaned forward, his voice low and sharp.
Defending the woman who helped kill your fiancée’s mother? While your fiancée was grieving roken-you forced her to kneel to the mistress? And you’re calling me despicable?”
Gasps swept the boardroom. Several senior execs looked away, faces pale.
Colin froze, all the color draining from his skin. “Piper isn’t the killer…”
/ictor cut him off without mercy, his voice rising like a whip.
You broke her. You humiliated her. And now you wonder why she left you? Why she took he shares and gave them to your rival? I’d say she showed incredible restraint.”
Colin’s throat tightened with nausea. His vision swam.
Every word Victor spoke branded itself into his skin like fire, tearing open every wound I left
ehind.
He opened his mouth, but no words came. Nothing he could say would change what he did.
And Victor saw it. He enjoyed it.
That cold gleam in his eyes-like a predator watching prey flounder in a trap.
The kind of pleasure that only comes when justice hits hard enough to draw blood.
‘Don’t gloat, Victor! You think this means you’ve won?!”
Colin was shaking. From rage. From humiliation. From fear.
Victor, calm again, dusted his sleeves like Colin was nothing but ash on his coat.
‘Instead of barking at me, maybe you should focus on the mess you’ve made,” Victor said coolly. ‘She sold her shares to me-not you, not someone neutral. Me. If that doesn’t tell you exactly how she feels about you, I don’t know what will.”
But Colin was too far gone to grasp what truly mattered.
Because while he burned with fury and shame, Victor’s phone lit up quietly beneath the table.
A message blinked across the screen:
[Mr. Keane, share acquisition talks with Mr. Hunt, Stratton and Carter are progressing smoothly.
Combined with Miss Ward’s transfer and our current holdings, you’re projected to cross 50% ownership by Monday.]
Victor glanced at the screen, eyes cold and calm.
Absolute control was only days away.
And Colin didn’t even know the sky above him was already falling.
18
