Chapter 88
Tim, Cathy Black’s driver, was drenched in sweat beneath his thin cotton shirt.
He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He could feel Cathy’s icy gaze boring into the back of his neck from the rear seat.
Ever since Bernard’s warning call, Tim had prepared himself for something terrible–but this went beyond his worst fears.
He slammed the gas pedal to the floor, weaving, recklessly through Vancouver’s crowded streets.
The usual thirty–minute drive to Cole Finance had to be cut down to ten, no matter the cost.
Cathy’s voice stillechoed in his ears:
“Get me there in ten minutes, or you’ll be six feet under.”
Her tone had held no trace of doubt.
Up ahead, Black Syndicate enforcers on motorcycles roared through traffic, forcing cars aside with shotguns and sheer menace.
They formed a path of chaos, snarling at anyone who dared slow them down.
Tim followed in their wake, heart hammering, ignoring every traffic light, weaving between honking cars and shrieking pedestrians.
He no longer cared if someone else died in this mad dash–survival overwhelmed all other instincts.
“After this,” he muttered through clenched teeth, “I’m done. I’m leaving this damned life.”
He had told himself the same thing a hundred times for years, but this time—this time–he meant it.
At last, Cole Finance’s building loomed ahead.
Tim slammed the brakes, tires screeching against asphalt as he pulled up at the entrance.
He risked a glance at the dashboard clock: exactly ten minutes.
Relief washed through him, his lungs flooding with shaky gratitude.
But his relief was short–lived.
Cathy glanced at her watch, her face tightening with cruel satisfaction.
“You’re ten seconds late,” she said softly, her words like venom.
“Madame, please-” Tim started, voice trembling.
He never got the chance to finish.
Cathy’s gun flashed as she pulled the trigger.
Bullets tore through the seat and punched into his back, scorching pain and sudden darkness coll
He slumped forward, blood staining his shirt.
He realized then, too late, that he had waited far too long to escape.
g in his mind.
Chapter 88
+25 BONUS
Cathy stepped away without a backward glance, her heels tapping briskly against the pavement. Bernard and five other bodyguards fell in behind her as she pushed into the building.
Outside, rain pattered gently on the windshield, washing over the final, motionless seconds of Tim’s life.
“Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
In front of Charles Cole’s office, Cathy’s fury coiled and writhed, ready to strike.
Bernard stormed ahead and kicked the door open with a savage crash.
The heavy panel slammed against the wall, revealing a tableau that brought Cathy’s rage roaring to the surface.
Charles stood with his pants half–lowered, his exposed flesh leering shamelessly toward Sophia Lancaster, who lay limp and unconscious on the office sofa.
The moment froze: Charles’s breath caught, his face went pale, and his bravado shriveled in an instant.
Cathy’s voice sliced through the stunned silence.
“And what,” she hissed, each word like a knife drawn slowly from its sheath, “do you think you’re doing with that filthy thing of yours?”
Charles’s mind raced.
He saw only one chance–twist the truth before Cathy tore him apart.
In one desperate motion, he slapped Sophia across the face.
The sharp crack sent her head snapping to the side, stirring her from her drugged haze.
Her eyes fluttered open, confused and unfocused.
“You bitch!” Charles bellowed, forcing a show of outrage.
“How dare you pull down my pants? You think you can buy off your hundred–million–dollar debt by throwing yourself at me?”
“Do you know who I am?”
His voice was shrill, desperate, as he struck her again.
“I already have a beautiful wife. You’re nothing but a cheap slut no one could ever love!”
Sophia, still reeling, struggled to understand.
Charles yanked his pants back up, then turned to Cathy with a feverish grin.
“My love, can you believe her nerve? She tried to seduce me! I would never betray you–never!”
He stumbled toward Cathy, words tumbling over each other, “I swear, honey. I adore only you!” Cathy said nothing at first. She stared, her features carved from stone.
Then, without warning, she slapped Charles hard.
The crack of her palm across his cheek rang in the silent room.
Charles bowed his head, forcing a tight smile through his trembling lips.
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Chapter 88
+25 BONUS
“Please, my wife, believe me! She’s lying! I live only for you!”
Cathy’s eyes narrowed, and she slapped him again.
He remained bowing, voice quavering but clinging to subservience.
“My darling,” he croaked, “my entire life is in your hands. Please trust me.”
She let him grovel for a long, bitter moment.
“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.”
Finally, she gave a single nod, as if acknowledging a pathetic show.
“Good,” she said, voice cold as winter air. “You’d do well to remember who you belong to.”
Without warning, Cathy’s hand shot forward, seizing Charles’s manhood in a crushing grip.
He gasped, face contorting in agony, sweat beading on his brow.
“This is mine,” she whispered, leaning close. “Show it to anyone else, and I’ll cut it off. Understood?”
“Yes yes,” Charles choked, tears of pain gathering at the corners of his eyes.
Cathy released him with a disgusted push, turning her attention to Sophia, who remained slumped in shock and confusion.
With merciless swiftness, Cathy’s hand slammed down on Sophia’s head, the impact reverberating through the
room.
Sophia let out a small, helpless cry as Cathy wrenched her by the hair, dragging her face close.
“You,” Cathy said, voice so quiet that it made Sophia’s skin crawl, “will die slowly. I promise you that.”
Sophia trembled, words failing her completely.
She felt the cold, murderous intent in Cathy’s gaze.
The fear was choking, suffocating, leaving her unable to respond.
Then, a deep, commanding voice shattered the silence, rolling in from the hall like distant thunder:
“I swear, she will be fine. But as for the rest of you–I can’t promise the same.”
