Chapter 16
The dinner had been a disaster.
Ryan and I left the estate in silence, the tension still thick in the air. The sound of the car engine filled the space between us, but neither of us spoke. I glanced at him, noticing how his jaw was clenched, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. His usual confident demeanor was gone, replaced by something heavier–something almost vulnerable.
“You okay?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.
He exhaled sharply, as if shaking himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah. I just…” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I just keep thinking about my father.”
I leaned back against the seat. “You’re worried about how he’ll handle all of this?”
He nodded. “It’s not just about him, though. It’s about the company, the inheritance. After this mess, they’ll have to rethink everything. Jack… he was their first choice, but now, with all of this coming to light…”
I hesitated before asking, “Do you even want to handle the company?”
Ryan let out a humorless chuckle. “It’s not about wanting it, Kylie. It’s about responsibility. I know I’d do better than Jack. He has a history of gambling, making bad investments, and dealing with shady people. If he takes over, the company will collapse. But at the end of the day, it’s still my father’s decision.”
I reached over and squeezed his hand. “You’d be a great leader. But for now, you should give yourself a break. You can’t solve everything in one night.”
He glanced at me, his expression softening slightly. “You’re right. For now, I just want to focus on
us.”
We arrived at the estate after some minutes. The night had just started to settle when a loud
knock echoed through Ryan’s estate.
Ryan frowned, pushing off the couch. “Who the hell-”
Before he could finish, the door swung open, and Jack stormed in, fury written all over his face. Without warning, Jack threw a punch. Ryan barely had time to react before the impact sent him stumbling back, his lip splitting open.
“What the hell?!” Ryan growled, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“You bastard!” Jack seethed. “You ruined everything!”
Ryan straightened, unfazed. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
Jack’s fists clenched. “I was supposed to get the inheritance! I had everything planned out, and you just had to go and expose Yanna, didn’t you?”
I blinked. What did he say? Was he aware of it? I didn’t think about it.
Ryan let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “I thought I was protecting you, Jack. I thought I was saving you from a gold digger. Turns out, you knew the whole time, didn’t you? Oh, I shouldn’t have felt guilty but I was glad that I did the right thing.”
Jack flinched, his eyes darting away. “That’s none of your damn business. Why do you have to do that? Why can’t you just accept that I’ll get the company?”
Chapter 16
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Ryan scoffed. “You let a woman manipulate you, played along, all for an inheritance? And now you’re blaming me for your own choices? I did that for our family… but you were actually the one ruining it by lying to our father.”
Jack’s face turned red with rage. And then-
“Of course, it’s her fault!”
Yanna’s voice rang through the room as she entered. She stormed in behind Jack, her perfectly styled hair slightly disheveled, her expensive heels clicking angrily against the floor. Her eyes landed on me, and I could see the sheer hatred burning in them.
“You,” she spat. “You ruined everything. If you just shut your mouth, then this wouldn’t have happened! I told you not to do anything to ruin the wedding!”
At first, I was guilty. I thought that I had ruined something in them–their relationship filled with love. But all I could see now was their business relationship. It seemed that they didn’t love each other, it was all for a show, for money
I raised an eyebrow. “I think you did that all on your own. You shouldn’t have lied in the first place.”
I was really glad now that I was in love with Ryan that I didn’t have to lie about us when we got
married.
Yanna let out a humorless laugh. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
She lunged at me. I barely had time to react before her nails scratched against my arm. The pain was minor, but the sheer aggression caught me off guard.
I shoved her back. “Are you crazy?!”
“You think you can just walk into this family and take everything from me?” she shrieked, eyes
wild.
Jack tried to hold her back, but she thrashed against him. Ryan stepped between us, his protective instincts flaring.
“Enough,” Ryan said coldly.
But Yanna wasn’t done.
“You’ve always been a snake, Kylie,” she spat. “You seduced Jayson, and now you’re doing the same thing to Ryan. But let me tell you something–you don’t belong here.”
I laughed dryly. “And you do? Lying about your child’s father, using Jack for money?”
Her expression twisted with rage. “You little-”
She lunged at me again, and this time, we collided, knocking over a small table in the process.
Ryan and Jack both moved to separate us, but before they could- A sharp pain tore through my stomach.
I gasped, stumbling back, my hands instinctively flying to my abdomen.
And then I felt it.
The warm, sickening wetness between my legs.
Blood.
Panic gripped me as my vision blurred. My breath hitched. “Ryan…” My voice came out weak,
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trembling.
His head snapped toward me, and the second he saw the blood, his entire face paled.
“No. No, no, no-” Ryan caught me just as my legs gave out.
Yanna and Jack fell silent, their anger disappearing in an instant.
Ryan scooped me up in his arms, his voice tight with fear. “We need to get to the hospital. Now.”
I clutched his shirt, my fingers trembling. “Ryan… what’s happening to me?”
His grip tightened as he carried me out the door, his voice filled with desperation. “Just stay with me, Kylie. Just stay with me.”
The world around me faded as I struggled to keep my eyes open.
I barely heard Ryan shouting for help as the darkness pulled me under.
A
