Chapter 5
Blake Shaw POV:
Connor slammed his fist onto the dining table.
The heavy bone china plates rattled. The sharp, piercing clatter of silverware hitting porcelain echoed through the high-end executive restaurant.
It was a violent, explosive movement. I knew this reaction well. It was the same physical tell he used back in his early startup days whenever his deep-seated insecurities threatened to surface. He used aggression to mask his loss of control.
Around us, the employees flinched. They immediately lowered their heads, staring at their laps, terrified to make eye contact with their furious CEO.
Connor pointed a trembling finger right at my nose. He screamed, his voice cracking with rage, asking if I was out of my damn mind. He demanded to know how I dared to suggest he crawl back to me.
I sat in my seat. I didn't blink. I didn't flinch.
I looked at him like he was a stranger performing a pathetic comedy routine. For three years, I had kept my head down. I had played the quiet, submissive fiancée. But my bottom line had been thoroughly trampled. The coldness in my chest was absolute.
Jaden shrank behind Connor. She gripped the fabric of his tailored suit jacket with both hands, trembling like a frightened bird.
"Connor, please don't be so angry," Jaden whispered. Her voice was weak, perfectly calibrated for maximum pity. "Blake is just... she's just too jealous. She doesn't mean it."
Connor's posture shifted the second he heard the word *jealous*.
His bruised ego inflated. The red flush of anger on his neck faded into a smug, arrogant sneer. He reached up and adjusted his silk tie.
He looked down at me with absolute charity. He ordered me to apologize to Jaden immediately. If I didn't, he promised I wouldn't need to come into the office tomorrow.
I reached for my glass of lemon water. I brought it to my lips and took a slow, deliberate sip. The ice clinked against the glass. I ignored his threat completely.
Connor's face turned a sickly shade of green. The veins at his temples throbbed. I could see the exact moment he realized his absolute authority was being publicly crushed.
"Security!" Connor roared, turning toward the restaurant entrance. "Throw this crazy woman out of here!"
Two massive security guards pushed through the crowd. They were built like tanks, ex-military. But as they walked toward my table, they hesitated.
The whispering started. The employees muttered behind their hands. Some looked at me with pity. Others whispered that I brought this on myself.
I saw Jaden peek out from behind Connor's arm. The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a victorious, malicious smile.
One of the guards reached out, his thick hand aiming for my shoulder.
I turned my head. I gave him a single, freezing glare.
It was the look I was born with. The oppressive, suffocating weight of absolute power. The guard froze instantly. His hand hovered in mid-air, his combat instincts warning him not to touch me.
Connor lost the last shred of his patience. He cursed under his breath and lunged forward, preparing to physically drag me out of my chair himself.
Before his expensive Italian leather shoe could hit the floor, the heavy, double-paneled oak doors of the restaurant were violently shoved open.
The thud of the wood hitting the walls sounded like thunder.
The noise instantly killed every whisper in the room. A blast of freezing autumn wind swept into the restaurant, carrying the scent of rain and exhaust.
Then came the footsteps. Synchronized, sharp, and commanding.
Everyone in the room turned their heads toward the entrance.
Lena stepped over the threshold. She wore a razor-sharp, custom-tailored black suit. Her ten-centimeter stiletto heels clicked against the hardwood floor like gunshots.
Behind her marched six top-tier corporate lawyers. They wore identical grim expressions and carried sleek leather briefcases.
The Wall Street capital aura radiating from this team was suffocating. The temperature in the room plummeted.
The two security guards instinctively took three steps back, clearing a wide path.
Connor stopped dead in his tracks. His brow furrowed. I watched his eyes widen as he recognized Lena. She was the most ruthless M&A lawyer in the country.
Connor immediately adjusted his jacket. He pasted on his best corporate smile, assuming Lena was here to discuss a partnership with his rising tech company.
He stepped forward to greet her.
Lena didn't even blink in his direction. She walked right past him.
A wave of cold, expensive perfume drifted past Connor's nose. His smile froze on his face. His extended hand hung awkwardly in the air.
Lena stopped perfectly in front of my table.
She bowed at a flawless forty-five-degree angle. Her voice was steady and deeply respectful.
"Miss, the dissolution agreement is ready."
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