This wasn’t—
“This,” Kai continued, gesturing toward the frozen image of her on screen, “is what desperation looks like.”
The crowd shifted, murmuring.
Humiliation burned through her veins.
Miles turned toward her, eyes cold.
“You told me the files were clean,” he snapped under his breath.
She stared at him. “You said you verified them.”
Kai’s voice cut through their exchange.
“Mr. Carter,” he said smoothly, “shall we also display the communications between you and my legal team?”
Miles went rigid.
The screens changed again.
Emails.
Private messages.
Agreements.
A contract.
Sylvia’s vision blurred as she read the highlighted line:
Temporary collaboration to expose internal breach. Carter Industries to receive limited market advantage post-resolution.
Her stomach dropped.
No.
No, no, no—
Miles had been working with Kai.
The entire time.
He stepped back from her as if she carried disease.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” he began weakly.
Kai descended from the stage.
Each step echoed.
“On the contrary,” he said quietly, “it’s exactly what it looks like.”
He stopped inches from Sylvia.
The cameras captured everything.
Her betrayal.
Her rage.
Her dawning horror.
“You wanted to hunt me,” he murmured so only she could hear. “But you walked into my trap.”
Her hands shook, but she forced her chin up. “You forged those emails.”
A flicker of amusement.
“Did I?”
Security moved through the ballroom.
Not toward Kai.
Toward her.
Gasps turned into speculation. Phones recorded.
Public spectacle.
She had wanted to expose him.
Instead, he was dismantling her in front of the entire city.
Miles attempted to slip away, but another set of guards intercepted him.
Kai’s voice carried again. “Both parties will be investigated for attempted corporate sabotage.”
“Investigated?” Sylvia hissed. “You orchestrated this!”
He leaned close, his breath warm against her ear.
“You overestimated yourself.”
Her chest heaved.
He nodded once to the guards.
They grabbed her arms.
The room blurred into flashes of light and whispers.
She didn’t struggle.
Not yet.
Not in front of them.
As they dragged her toward the exit, she locked eyes with Kai one last time.
He wasn’t triumphant.
He was… satisfied.
—
The ride to his estate felt unreal.
No police.
No official arrest.
Just a black car. Tinted windows. Silence thick as suffocation.
Gavin sat in the front passenger seat.
She recognized him now—the quiet shadow always near Kai.
“Where are we going?” she demanded.
No answer.
The gates opened automatically when the car approached.
Kai’s private estate rose from manicured hills like a fortress—modern architecture, steel and glass, cold and impenetrable.
The car stopped.
The door opened.
“Out,” Gavin said.
She stepped onto the gravel path, heels sinking slightly.
The night air tasted sharp.
Inside, the house was dimly lit, minimalistic and pristine.
No warmth.
No softness.
Kai stood near the staircase, jacket removed, tie loosened.
Casual.
As if he hadn’t just destroyed her life publicly.
The guards released her.
She spun toward him. “You set me up.”
He tilted his head. “You set yourself up.”
“Miles—”
“Was useful.”
Her laugh cracked. “You think this is over? I’ll go to the press. I’ll tell them—”
“You’ll tell them what?” he interrupted softly. “That you illegally accessed company files? That you conspired with my competitor?”
Her mouth snapped shut.
He stepped closer.
“I gave you rope, Sylvia,” he said. “You tied the noose yourself.”
Fury exploded through her.
She lunged at him.
Gavin intercepted her instantly, gripping her arms and twisting them behind her back.
Pain shot through her shoulders.
“Let me go!” she spat.
Kai watched calmly.
“Take her downstairs,” he said.
Her blood turned to ice.
“Downstairs?” she echoed.
Gavin dragged her toward a hidden door near the staircase. It opened to reveal a sleek elevator.
The descent felt endless.
When the doors opened, her breath left her lungs.
It wasn’t a dungeon.
It was worse.
A perfectly furnished suite. Bedroom. Bathroom. Sitting area.