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Ruthless Desires

Chapter 4 Checkmate

Word Count: 1423    |    Released on: 01/04/2025

night. The kind of quiet that mad

sh, felt more like a gilded cage than a guest suite. It smelled of fresh linen and old books, with the

nd it wasn't just the unnatural stillness of t

folder over in

t was Killian Va

r phone vibrati

ca

d when she saw the

Han

ves when she refused to bury a story that would have exp

ed, then swip

ering when

voice was clipped, businesslike. "Liana, w

ned on the phon

e is on a

eath hitch

ago. The Lancaster Corporation is suing you fo

blurred f

er Corp

d been gathering evidence of fraud, siphoned funds, illegal offshore accounts until, suddenly,

n. Or at least,

no

id, forcing her voice to stay cal

"Someone leaked your research, and

ar grip

leake

y. "And before you ask, I tried l

d her jaw. .

to great lengths to bring this lawsuit against her. Someone who had the

ike Killi

lse po

have seen t

ouldn't refuse. He had wanted control over her work, and n

d

les, drained of whatever money she had left, and

"Liana, listen to me. You need a lawy

ded th

ds were

her body moving before

hn's estate, the anger in her chest i

but she knew exact

st

d open, the impact reverberating th

didn't

rmed inside. The weight of the news still pressed on her chest like a vice. Five million do

on who had the power to orc

amber glow casting sharp shadows across his

him the satisfac

ng toward him. "I knew you were controlli

tumbler of whiskey. "You're going to

k, the screen still glowing with

Don't play dumb," she

face-mild amusement, laced with curiosity. He took

sumptions, I had not

clenched.

wouldn't have gone through the legal system. It's messy, unpredictable

ming for you now, it's because they finally found a way

eath h

ve he was lying. Th

e lawsuit was

rled into fist

oing to sit there and wa

regarding her as if she were a par

simply. "I'm g

. "Fix it? You're going to make a fi

s slow, deli

. "And what exactly d

t was-t

h an unspoken weight. Killian pushed off the desk

ed a

a bl

ting in her brain before she could p

red, half-convince

syllable calm, calculated. "And you

ng for the punchline. But

s she shook her hea

me my wife for two years, and in return, I take care of your problem. The lawsuit v

There were a hundred questions battling in h

ce was barely

t change. "Because my boar

ows fu

my biggest investors don't trust a man with too many secrets. Th

eath. "So this is

ment makes me untouchable in certain circles. It builds trust with shareholders, sm

his tone, but before she coul

the rules. One who won't get attached. An

throat

n her screamed t

omed over her like

lies left. No

nding her a solutio

her chin. "

yea

mered. "And w

you want. Debt-free, reputation re

richer, depending on ho

hands

was m

entire life a

e let her win. She had clawed her way into

he was out

ckm

akily. "Draw u

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1 Chapter 1 The Scandal2 Chapter 2 The Mysterious Offer3 Chapter 3 Secrets4 Chapter 4 Checkmate5 Chapter 5 Competitor6 Chapter 6 Unfinished Business7 Chapter 7 The Reckoning8 Chapter 8 Crossed Lines9 Chapter 9 The Firestorm10 Chapter 10 The Wedding Gambit11 Chapter 11 Heated Moment12 Chapter 12 Aftermath13 Chapter 13 Vincent's Play14 Chapter 14 Dangerous Meeting15 Chapter 15 Paris16 Chapter 16 Boundaries and Betrayals17 Chapter 17 Fractured Edges18 Chapter 18 Lines19 Chapter 19 Changed Rules20 Chapter 20 Veil of Deception21 Chapter 21 The Lie22 Chapter 22 Fire and Fallout23 Chapter 23 Suspicion24 Chapter 24 The Discovery25 Chapter 25 The Probe26 Chapter 26 Pressure Points27 Chapter 27 The Tail28 Chapter 28 Pieces Falling29 Chapter 29 Loopholes30 Chapter 30 The Reveal31 Chapter 31 Silence32 Chapter 32 The Resolve33 Chapter 33 Amber and Ashes34 Chapter 34 Timing35 Chapter 35 Digging Deep36 Chapter 36 Just Business37 Chapter 37 The Event38 Chapter 38 The Auction39 Chapter 39 The Crack40 Chapter 40 The Breakdowm41 Chapter 41 The Departure42 Chapter 42 The Converation43 Chapter 43 The Breakup44 Chapter 44 The Reunion45 Chapter 45 The Edge of The Wreckage46 Chapter 46 The Night47 Chapter 47 This Time48 Chapter 48 The Favour49 Chapter 49 Shadow Between Us50 Chapter 50 The Gamble51 Chapter 51 The Test52 Chapter 52 The Brunch53 Chapter 53 The Truth54 Chapter 54 The Infiltration55 Chapter 55 The Damage Report56 Chapter 56 The Ember57 Chapter 57 Rebuilding Trust58 Chapter 58 The Investor59 Chapter 59 The Private Moment60 Chapter 60 The Leak61 Chapter 61 The Exposure62 Chapter 62 Strategic Separation63 Chapter 63 The Fall-Back64 Chapter 64 The Unraveling65 Chapter 65 The Bait66 Chapter 66 The Unmasking67 Chapter 67 Isabel68 Chapter 68 The Resurfacing69 Chapter 69 Ghost in a Vault70 Chapter 70 The Firestarter71 Chapter 71 Ghost in the System72 Chapter 72 Breaking Protocol73 Chapter 73 The False Collapse74 Chapter 74 Serena's Past Revealed75 Chapter 75 Inside the Enemy's Lair76 Chapter 76 Killian's Confession77 Chapter 77 Celeste's Ultimatum78 Chapter 78 The Boardroom Coup79 Chapter 79 Serena's Counterattack80 Chapter 80 The Web Tightens81 Chapter 81 The Mole Within82 Chapter 82 The Legacy Journal83 Chapter 83 Serena's True Plan84 Chapter 84 The Rescue85 Chapter 85 The Unexpected Ally86 Chapter 86 The Final Showdown87 Chapter 87 The Board Falls