Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I spun around and bolted into his home office.

Yanking open the mahogany desk drawers, I snatched every stack of neatly organized documents inside.

Those were the proposal drafts he had pulled all-nighters for six months to perfect, every page covered in margin notes and coffee stains.

I marched back out to the living room and tore them in half with a vicious rip, letting the shredded paper scatter across the floor like snow.

His face drained of color as he roared, "Audrey, what the hell are you doing?!"

I didn't stop. I rushed to his desktop setup, grabbed a heavy glass from the table, and smashed it directly into the computer tower.

The monitors instantly went pitch black with a burst of sparks, plunging the room into a deafening silence.

Panting heavily, I pointed at the smoking machine.

"You think I'm crazy? Good! Let me show you what crazy looks like!"

Shane finally snapped. He crossed the room in two strides and seized my wrist, squeezing so hard my bones creaked.

His eyes were bloodshot, his voice trembling with pure venom.

"You're out of your goddamn mind!"

I glared back at him, laughing bitterly.

"Am I? You're the one who pushed me over the edge!"

I struggled violently against his grip, but his hold was ironclad, leaving burning red marks on my skin.

He inhaled deeply, his voice dropping into a chilling, dangerous register.

"Audrey, you destroyed my pitch deck and wrecked my machine. Do you have any idea how much money you just cost me?"

He glared at me, his fury gradually freezing into cold, bitter disappointment.

After a moment, he let go so abruptly that I stumbled, barely keeping my balance.

He stepped back, picked up the torn equity agreement from the floor, dusted it off, and said frostily:

"Enough! Twenty percent of Atkinson Enterprises. Is that enough to shut you up? Sign it, and we are completely done."

I stared at the paper, feeling as if an anvil had dropped onto my chest.

Done. With a single number, he reduced seven years of blood, sweat, and devotion into a business transaction.

He extended the pen toward me, his tone rigid and commanding.

"Sign it, Audrey. Sign it and take your freedom, so I don't have to deal with you for another second."

I looked into his eyes and saw nothing left of the man who once held me tenderly. There was only callous detachment.

With trembling fingers, I took the pen and scribbled my name across the line.

Shane watched me finish without a flicker of emotion, looking relieved, as if shedding dead weight.

Then, reaching into his inner suit pocket, he produced another deed and slid it across the island.

"This penthouse is yours too," he added dryly.

I looked up at him.

We had picked out this apartment together; he had even painted the accent wall himself, whispering that it was "our forever home."

Now, he was tossing it away like surplus inventory.

Avoiding my gaze, he turned toward the entrance.

"I'll move out tonight. You won't have to see my face again."

I stood frozen in the center of the living room, silent and motionless.

He pulled the door open, letting the crisp night wind rush in and blow the shredded paper and burnt electronic stench across the floor.

Without a second of hesitation, he stepped out and let the heavy door click shut behind him.

I was left completely alone amidst the ruins, holding the deeds and agreements in the hollow silence.

Right then, my phone buzzed against my leg.

I pulled it out to see a text from an unsaved number.

"Audrey, you lost the bet. Are you ready to give me a chance now?"