Chapter 150

Chapter 150

The front door slammed open. Kenna stormed in on stiletto heels, her face livid.

"Aaron! Have you completely lost your mind?!" She slammed her tablet onto the bar with a dull crack.

Aaron frowned, irritation flashing across his face. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? Look at what you've done!" Kenna jabbed at the screen, shaking with rage. "Do you have any idea that the entire internet is laughing at you right now? The Harvey Group's stock cratered the second the market opened! The board is calling me—me!—demanding answers!"

Aaron looked down.

On the screen: Clio's photos sent to Hestia, and Hestia's razor-sharp caption beneath them.

He stared at the vivid red marks in the photos. At the tie he recognized as his own. Blood rushed to his head.

Clio had sent these to Hestia?

She hadn't left. She'd weaponized their night together to taunt his ex-wife.

Aaron shot to his feet. The whiskey glass in his hand shattered.

Glass shards bit into his palm. Blood welled up. He didn't feel it. Only the blinding fury of being played for a fool—again.

He'd believed Clio was genuinely remorseful. Genuinely cornered.

Instead, the woman had turned around and used him as a knife aimed straight at Hestia.

"Aaron, what are you thinking?" Kenna stared at his bleeding hand, furious and frantic at once. "That woman is a wanted criminal! You're sleeping with her? Do you want to drag the entire Harvey family down with you?"

Aaron said nothing. He grabbed his car keys and stormed out.

---

Half an hour later. The budget motel.

Aaron kicked the door open. The lock gave way with a splintering crack.

Clio sat on the bed scrolling her phone, watching the online backlash spiral out of control. Panic was already setting in.

When Aaron burst in radiating violence, she screamed. The phone clattered to the floor.

"Aaron—"

Crack.

Aaron stepped forward and backhanded her without hesitation.

The full force of the blow sent Clio crashing onto the mattress. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Her ears rang.

"You have a death wish?" Aaron seized her throat and pinned her against the headboard.

His eyes were bloodshot, murderous. "I told you to take the money and disappear. You sent those photos to Hestia? You trying to get yourself killed faster?"

Clio gasped for air, her hands clawing uselessly at his forearm. Tears poured down her face.

"I didn't... Aaron, I just love you too much..." She clung to his wrist, still performing. "I was jealous of her... I just wanted her to know you have feelings for me... I was wrong, please don't be angry..."

Looking at her—shameless, unrepentant, lying through her teeth—Aaron's stomach turned violently.

He remembered what Hestia had said on the phone: "You make me sick."

Now he finally understood exactly what she meant.

Aaron released his grip and flung Clio onto the bed like garbage.

"Drop the disgusting act." He pulled out a tissue and wiped his hand, his eyes frozen to absolute zero. "I'm saying this one last time. Take the money. Get out of Seaside City. If you pull anything else, the police won't need to find you. I'll handle it myself."

He pulled a check from his pocket and threw it in her face.

"Last payout. Take it and get out."

Aaron turned and strode from the room without a backward glance. The door slammed shut behind him.

Clio lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the check on the floor, clutching her swollen face.

She knew. This time, Aaron had truly abandoned her for good.

---

Aaron's hand had just touched the door handle when arms locked around his waist from behind. Clio clung to him with desperate force.

"Aaron, I'm not leaving!" Her voice was shrill, her fingers clawing into his shirt fabric, knuckles bone-white. "You can't just throw me away! I don't want money—I just want to stay with you!"

Aaron's brow furrowed. A wave of visceral revulsion churned through him.

He pried at her fingers. "Let go. Don't make me say something worse."

They struggled violently at the doorway.

Then the half-closed door was kicked open from outside.

BANG.

Dean charged in, eyes blazing crimson.

He'd pulled every string he had, followed every lead, to track Clio to this motel.

But the moment he reached the door and heard the commotion inside—then saw Clio, barely dressed, sobbing in Aaron's arms—every last shred of reason incinerated.

"Aaron, you animal!"

Dean roared and lunged like a maddened bull, seizing Aaron's collar and driving a fist straight into his face.

Aaron never saw it coming. The impact threw him to the ground. His back slammed against the wall. Blood split his lip instantly.

Dean pinned him down, fist cocked for another blow.

"Stop it!" Clio screamed.

But she didn't thank Dean for the rescue. Instead, she threw herself at him like a woman possessed, shoving him off Aaron, slapping his shoulder hard.

"What are you doing?! Who told you to hit him?!" Clio rushed to Aaron's side, tenderly wiping the blood from his mouth, crying harder than ever. "Aaron, are you okay?"

Dean froze.

His fist hung suspended in midair. He stared at Clio in disbelief.

He'd thrown himself into danger to save her.

And she'd turned around and struck him—to protect the man who'd just hurt her.

After the shock subsided, what flooded in was a deeper, uglier rage.

But he couldn't bring himself to direct it at Clio. His subconscious automatically built excuses for her—Aaron had used his power to coerce her; she was only debasing herself because she had no choice.

He piled every ounce of blame onto Aaron.

"Aaron." Dean rose to his feet and pointed straight at his face, teeth grinding. "You touched her. You take responsibility. You destroyed her like this—if you're any kind of man, you marry her."

Aaron shrugged off Clio's hands and straightened to his full height. He wiped the blood from his lip with his thumb and regarded Dean the way one regards a world-class idiot.

"Responsibility?" Aaron let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Last night was an accident. I have zero feelings for a lying fugitive."

He brushed the dust from his suit, then let his gaze drift between Dean and Clio with open amusement.

"You care about her so much—why don't you take her off my hands." Aaron's contempt was surgical. "One of you loves to lie, the other loves to believe it. Match made in heaven."

The words hit Dean's rawest nerve.

"I'll kill you!" Dean's eyes flooded red. He charged again, fists swinging.

"Dean, enough!" Clio threw herself in front of Aaron, shoving Dean back with both hands.

She glared at Dean. Not a trace of gratitude in her eyes. Only the bitter resentment of a woman whose plans had been interrupted.