Betrayed by My Love, Recruited by His Enemy

nce of fine leather and soundproofed glass. The air smelled clean and sterile, with a faint, masculine scent of sandalwood and somethi

rimposed over the glittering skyline. My mind was a maelstrom of shock, humiliation, and a terrifying, burgeoning anger. Julian Thorne sat beside me,

ck furniture. One entire wall was a floor-to-ceiling window offering a breathtaking

the two chairs facing

behind the desk. Instead, he leaned against it, crossing his arms over h

tone. "They used you to do it. They plan to sell it to a competitor, which would cost my compa

him, my throat to

for years. But that is slow. Messy. I prefer something more... definitive. I want to ruin them. I want

use me, just like Mark had. I was just a d

me?" I finally managed

us the ammunition we need to utterly destroy them." He paused, his gaze intensifying. "In return, I will fund the best lawyers to clear you of the fraudulent debt Mark

ing. He wasn't offering charity; he was making a transaction. My soul in exchange for my life

n his level, to reclaim some sliver of control. "I don't want your help. I don't want t

sed his face. "You are in no position to refuse,

rising with a desperate, defian

. I needed to get out of there, to brea

Clara," Julian's voice sto

ed it to face me. On the screen was a photo of my parents' small, cozy house, the one they'd lived

devastating than a shout. "He used your personal information to remortgage your parents' home.

his nightmare. The fight went out of me, replaced by a crushing, suffocat

"He knew the only way to control me, to keep me s

voice flat. "Which is why you need so

w it. My quest for personal justice was no lon

me to do?" I ask

scent of expensive perfume and champagne. The sound of polite laughter and clinking glasses felt like an assault. Acros

ent, imposing presence in a perfectly tailored tuxedo. He gave my hand a sl

oved through the crowd to a small tech booth at the back of the room, my ha

hone, his voice oozing false sincerity. "And my inspiration, whose creative vision, while flawed, provide

hen I hi

een, my original design files appeared, complete with metadata showing their creation dates from months ago. On the

faces draining of color. The screen changed again, displaying the text mess

and outrage. Security guards starte

Thorne strode onto the stage, taking

is voice booming through the

e looked at the evidence on the screen, then at the

like ice. "Thorne Industries was the victim of a coordinat

t," Julian said, a cruel smile touching his lips, "my legal team has just finished

. Mark looked li

owd. He looked directly at me, and for the first time, I saw something other th

e ringing out with chilling clarity, a f

ebt from the loan sharks who hold her family's

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