Chapter 17

Richard’s POV

I slammed the door behind me, the sound echoing through the hall. Lena’s words clung to me like a second skin, suffocating and bitter. She said she was leaving. Leaving me.

I still couldn’t believe it. She had always been so weak, so easy to manipulate. But today, she stood there and told me she was done. For the first time, there was defiance in her voice, and I hated it.

I walked over to the window, gripping the sill so hard my knuckles turned white. Lena wasn’t supposed to act like this. I had pushed her, yes—because she needed to learn her place. She had to be broken, controlled. And for so long, she had been... compliant.

But now? Now, she was acting like she had choices. Like she could just walk away from me. And the worst part? There was no fear in her eyes. Not like before.

That thought twisted my insides. The anger was still there, hot and burning, but underneath it, something else was brewing. Something I couldn’t ignore: doubt.

Had I miscalculated? Had I let her slip through my fingers?

No. I couldn’t allow myself to think that. Lena was mine. I had spent too long molding her, too much effort keeping her under my control. She wasn’t going anywhere, not if I had anything to do with it.

But she was getting stronger—because of Mrs. Paxton. I clenched my jaw. My mother had always been too soft when it came to women like Lena. She saw weakness and decided to fix it. And now Lena had this newfound strength, this confidence, all because my mother had taken her under her wing.

I couldn’t let that happen.

A dark chuckle escaped my throat as I thought about how easily I could strip it all away. Lena thought she was rebuilding her life by working at the company. She thought she was growing, becoming something without me. But she didn’t understand how quickly that could be taken from her.

I could stop her. I would stop her.

I grabbed my phone, dialing quickly. The line clicked, and a voice answered.

“Cut her off,” I said sharply. “She’s done at the company. I don’t care what Mrs. Paxton says.”

There was a pause on the other end, then the hesitant response. “Sir, Mrs. Paxton—”

“I don’t care,” I snapped, pacing now. “Do it. And make sure she knows why.”

I hung up, throwing the phone down on the desk. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me, my anger simmering just below the surface. This would show her. This would remind Lena that she wasn’t strong without me.

Let her try to walk away now.

As I stood there, my mind still racing, I thought about Tyler. He had been circling around Lena for months, always playing the part of the loyal friend. Always too close. Too involved. Luna had been planting those seeds for a while now, whispering in my ear, making sure I knew that something wasn’t right.

I wanted to ignore her. I wanted to believe that Tyler was just... being helpful. But the more I thought about it, the more the jealousy gnawed at me. He was always there, always ready to step in whenever Lena needed someone.

Like he thought he could take my place.

I slammed my fist down on the desk. No. Tyler would never have her. He couldn’t.

But Luna’s words came back to me. She had warned me that Tyler wasn’t just being a friend. She had hinted that there was more going on behind the scenes. And now, every time I saw them together, I felt that doubt creeping in.

I hated that Luna was getting in my head, but what if she was right? What if Lena had been planning to leave me for Tyler this whole time?

The thought made my blood boil.

I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let it happen.

But if I was going to deal with Tyler, I needed to be smart. I couldn’t just confront him—not yet. No, I had to bide my time, wait for the right moment to expose him for what he was. Then, I’d destroy him. I’d take everything he had. Just like I was going to take everything from Lena.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. This wasn’t over yet. Lena thought she was winning, that she was somehow escaping me. But she had no idea what I was capable of.

I still had power over her. I still had control.

As I walked toward the door, I heard it creak open, and Luna stepped inside. She had that smug look on her face—the one that always made me feel like she knew something I didn’t.

“You look stressed,” she said, her voice dripping with fake concern. “Everything okay?”

I glared at her. “What do you want, Luna?”

She walked closer, leaning against the desk casually. “I just came to check on you. I heard about your little... conversation with Lena.”

I clenched my teeth. “She thinks she can leave me.”

Luna’s smile widened. “Does she now?”

I didn’t answer, just stared at her. Luna was always scheming, always whispering poison into people’s ears. She had done it with Lena, feeding me lies about her and Tyler. And now she was watching, waiting to see how I’d react.

“She’s getting too comfortable,” I said, my voice low. “But I’ll remind her who’s in control.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Luna asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“I already cut her off from the business,” I said, feeling a twisted satisfaction at the thought. “She’ll have nothing without me.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. “That’s a start. But you know, Richard, you’re playing a dangerous game.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

She shrugged, walking toward the door. “Lena’s not as weak as she used to be. She’s starting to fight back. You might want to deal with her before it’s too late.”

I clenched my fists as she walked out of the room, her words hanging in the air. Deal with her. That’s exactly what I was going to do.

Lena thought she was strong now. She thought she could stand up to me, defy me. But she had no idea what was coming.

I wasn’t going to let her go. Not ever. I’d tear her life apart piece by piece if I had to.

Because Lena belonged to me.

And no one—not Tyler, not mother, not even Lena herself—was going to change that.

Luna’s words hung in the air, her footsteps echoing down the hallway as she left the room. My pulse quickened, the anger bubbling back up to the surface. She had planted these seeds in my head, turning me against Lena, making me question everything. And yet, I couldn’t stop listening. She knew exactly how to push my buttons, how to make me doubt Lena, make me doubt myself.

I downed another glass of whiskey, the burn doing little to calm the fire inside me. I couldn’t let this spiral out of control. I had to do something.

I needed to isolate her. Tyler, mother, all of them—they were giving her strength. Without them, she’d be nothing. If I could make sure she had no one left, she’d come crawling back.

I paced the room, my thoughts swirling faster and faster. I had already cut her off from the business, but it wasn’t enough. It was a start, yes, but I needed to do more. I needed to show Lena that she couldn’t escape me.

The baby. The thought came back to me, sharper now, more focused. She hadn’t told me about it, but I knew. I could sense it. The staff whispered when they thought I wasn’t listening, little clues dropped here and there. Lena was hiding it from me, trying to keep it a secret, thinking that would somehow give her more power. But she didn’t realize that once I confirmed it, she’d be trapped for good.

If she was pregnant with my child, she’d never leave. She wouldn’t be able to. The baby would bind her to me, and I’d make sure she had nowhere else to go.

I smiled to myself, the plan falling into place. Lena thought she could outsmart me, but she had no idea what was coming. She was so busy trying to stand up to me, trying to build her little world, that she didn’t see the walls closing in around her. But she would soon.

And as for Tyler… I wasn’t done with him either. He was too involved, too close. I needed to find a way to get rid of him for good, to expose him for what he was—a liar, a fake. Lena thought Tyler was her ally, her savior. But once I destroyed him, once I showed her what kind of man he really was, she’d have no choice but to turn back to me. She’d see that I was the only one she could rely on.

The door creaked open again, and I turned to see Luna standing in the doorway, that smug smile still plastered on her face.

“You’re still thinking about Lena, aren’t you?” she asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.

I glared at her, my temper barely contained. “What do you want, Luna?”

She raised an eyebrow, taking a few steps into the room. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Richard. If you’re not careful, Lena’s going to slip right through your fingers.”

“I don’t need your advice,” I snapped, the anger bubbling over again. “Lena isn’t going anywhere.”

Luna smirked, clearly enjoying my frustration. “Is that so? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like she’s already halfway out the door.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “I said I’ve got it under control.”

Luna tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “If you say so. But don’t wait too long. She’s getting stronger, you know.”

“Get out,” I growled, my patience wearing thin.

Luna chuckled softly, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I stared at the closed door, my mind racing.

Stronger? No. She wasn’t strong. Not yet. And if I had my way, she never would be.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

And Lena? She would learn the hard way that no one ever truly leaves Richard Paxton.