Chloe’s sinister words hung in the sterile air of the hospital room, freezing the blood in Lucas’s veins. The harsh fluorescent light cast jagged shadows across her cold face as she pulled out her phone, tapping the screen with a cruel, deliberate slow pace."I am not joking with you, Lucas," Chloe hissed, thrusting the glowing screen right into his swollen face. "One tap on this button, and the head nurse at the intensive care unit will walk over and pull the main power line to your mother's breathing machine. You have five seconds before she takes her very last breath."A wave of terror crashed over Lucas, drowning out the agonizing throbbing in his fractured skull, his crushed hand, and his broken leg. He looked up at Elena one last time, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. He searched her cold, beautiful face, looking for even the smallest flicker of warmth, a single memory of the eight years he had devoted entirely to her.“Do you really want this, Elena?” Lucas whispered. “A

Elena’s hand trembled so violently that her phone almost slipped from her manicured fingers. The champagne glass in her other hand tilted, spilling liquid on her silk dress, but she didn't even notice."R-Revoked?" Elena stuttered, her voice cracking as the color drained completely from her face. "Canceled?! No, there must be some terrible mistake! We are supposed to sign tomorrow morning!""The decision comes directly from the Chairman's Office, Miss Elena," the cold voice replied deadpan over the receiver. "There is no mistake. Good evening."The line went dead with a harsh click.Elena stood frozen in the middle of the luxurious living room, her eyes wide with terror. The world felt as if it were collapsing beneath her high heels."Elena, darling? What is it?" Mrs. Raymond asked, setting her glass down as her smile faltered. "What did they say?""T-They canceled it," Elena whispered, her body shaking uncontrollably. "They said the Chairman’s Office canceled the entire two-billion-d

Julian’s face froze for a brief second, but as his eyes registered Lucas sitting comfortably in the CEO’s grand mahogany chair, his stunned silence shattered into a burst of loud, booming laughter. The sound echoed off the glass walls of the executive office, sharp and full of mocking contempt.He tossed his head back, shaking his shoulders as if he had just witnessed the funniest joke in the world. "Look at this pathetic worm!" Julian gasped out, wiping a tear of fake laughter from his eye as he pointed a trembling finger at the desk. "He actually bribed a building cleaner, snuck onto the executive floor while the real Chairman was away, and threw on a tailored suit just to play dress-up!"Elena’s initial fear transformed into a fiery, venomous rage that turned her face bright red. She took two aggressive steps forward, her high heels clicking loudly against the marble floor, and thrust a manicured finger straight toward Lucas's face."You sick, desperate stalker!" Elena screamed at

Elena and Julian walked out of the elevator and stepped into the grand lobby of Sterling Group. Before they could even catch their breath, the Raymond family rushed toward them with bright, eager smiles."Did you sign it?" Mrs. Raymond asked, her eyes shining with happiness. "Can we finally move into our new mega-mansion?"The dark, twisted look on Elena’s face stopped them dead in their tracks.Mrs. Raymond rushed forward, grabbing Elena’s arm in a panic. "Elena! Tell me what happened! Why do you look like that?"Elena gritted her teeth, tears of pure rage burning in her eyes."It is all that good-for-nothing Lucas!" Elena snapped, her voice shaking with hatred. "That useless beggar came here and bewitched Natalie! He tricked her, and she went ahead and revoked our contract!"Raymond stepped forward, his face turning a dark, ugly shade of red. He slammed his fist against a pillar, cursing loudly that people around them turned to stare."That ungrateful bastard!" Raymond roared, vein