2024-10-19 12:16:26
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CHAPTER 856
The girl who had thrown the first ball, Coco, wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Her expression shifted from terror to a sharp, judging skepticism as she tracked the uncontrollable shaking of Chad's hands."We saw, Chad," she said, her voice dropping the playful lilt it had held all morning. She crossed her arms over her damp bikini top. "We also saw you choke. I thought you said your dad basically owned this island? I thought no one talked to a Meriwether like that."Chad’s jaw dropped. "He was a psycho, Coco! Did you see his eyes? He looked like he was about to... to erase us!""He was one guy," said Peston, the one whose wrist Tedmond had nearly rearranged. He was cradling his arm, his face pale, but his eyes were fixed on Chad with simmering resentment. "There were five of us. You’re always talking about how power works, Chad, how money is the ultimate shield. But you stood there and let him snap your property like a toothpick. You apologized. You actually whimpered.""
CHAPTER 855
"The first one was an accident," Tedmond said, taking a single, heavy step forward.The sand didn't shift under his weight; he moved like a predator closing a gap. "The second one was a choice. Now, you have a choice of your own.""Oh yeah?" the blonde youth sneered. He was bolstered by his four friends, who were now scrambling to their feet behind him. "And what choice is that, buddy?""You can apologize to my wife for the dress," Tedmond said, his voice dropping to a whisper that carried further than a shout. "You can pay for the lunch you ruined. Or, I can show you exactly why people like you should stay in the shallow end of the pool."The blonde youth laughed, though the sound was brittle. "You hear this guy? He’s threatening us. Do you have any idea who my father is? My family owns half the—"Tedmond didn't let him finish. He moved so fast the group saw only a blur.In one heartbeat, he was ten feet away; in the next, he was inches from the boy’s face.He didn't strike. He si
CHAPTER 854
A purple volleyball landed squarely in their fruit tray, spraying sticky juice across the hem of Persis’s white silk sarong. The snickering from the group next door was instantaneous."My bad!" the girl from earlier called out. She strolled over with a hand on her hip, looking more annoyed at having to retrieve the ball than sorry for the mess. She stopped a foot from Tedmond, looking down at their ruined lunch with a dismissive curl of her lip."Hey, since you're just sitting there, be a doll and toss that back? And maybe move your cooler? You're kind of in our court space."The peace Tedmond had managed to build over the last hour evaporated. He looked at the mangled mango slices, then up at the girl, then at the blonde youth in the designer shades who was wearing an arrogant, expectant grin.Tedmond didn't move. He didn't even blink."Tedmond," Persis said quietly. Her tone was a warning, but it was underlined with a sudden, sharp edge. She wasn't looking at the girl; she was
CHAPTER 853
Silver Sands IslandThey took the private ferry to the island strip. It was exactly as Persis had predicted: white cabanas, overpriced cocktails, and the heavy, coconut-cloying scent of expensive suntan oil.While the club was exclusive, it was packed with the heirs of the East Coast, young, rich, and blissfully unaware of the shadow war that had recently concluded in their own backyard. Tedmond felt like a wolf in a pen of golden retrievers. He carried the cooler and the blanket, his eyes instinctively scanning the perimeter as they settled near the water."Relax," Persis whispered, shedding her cover-up to reveal a sleek black bikini. She looked incredible, but more importantly, she looked unbothered."No one here knows who you are."That peace lasted exactly twenty minutes."Hey! Watch the champagne!" a shrill voice barked from a few yards away.A group of five had set up an elaborate spread nearby. One of the men, a blonde youth wearing a watch that cost more than a mid-sized
CHAPTER 852
The next morning, the Washington mansion woke to a different kind of quiet. It wasn’t the heavy, watchful silence of a fortress under siege, but the lazy, golden stillness of a house at rest.Tedmond stood in the breakfast nook, dressed in a simple linen shirt and dark trousers, a far cry from the tactical gear or the stiff power suits he’d lived in for months. He leaned against the marble counter, sipping black coffee, when Thomas appeared with his usual clockwork efficiency."The dossier on Caius Merrett is on your desk, sir," Thomas began, his voice lowered as if afraid to break the morning peace. "And the forensic team has cleared the sub-level. We are ready to begin—""Stop, Thomas," Tedmond said, raising a hand. He didn’t speak with the cold authority of a commander, but with the soft exhaustion of a man who had reached his limit. "The dossier can stay where it is. The sub-level isn't going anywhere."Thomas blinked, his professional mask slipping for a fraction of a second.
CHAPTER 851
They were monsters to their enemies, yes, but they were a fortress to their own. And for some reason, they had decided to let her back into the light.The driver’s eyes flickered to the rearview mirror.He saw the girl who had nearly brought down the house, now crumpled and weeping like a child in the back seat. His gaze lingered for a heartbeat, not with judgment, but with a flicker of silent recognition. He had seen many things in the service of Tedmond Washington, but the Hammer’s mercy was always the most striking.Without a word, he returned his eyes to the road, hands steady as he accelerated toward the gate. He didn't offer a tissue or a platitude; he simply granted her the privacy of his silence, leaving the ghosts of the estate in the dust.Ruby sat up after a few miles, wiping her face with the sleeve of her uniform. She watched the passing trees, the morning sun finally warm against her skin. She was a traitor, a mole, and a failure, but as the car sped toward the airp
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