Chapter 15

Ivy jumped off the couch, her heart racing with fear and anger. She ran towards her room, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it with shaking hands.

She leaned against the door, her chest heaving with sobs. "Damn you, Victor!" she cursed, her voice muffled by the door. "Damn you to hell!"

She slid down to the floor, her body wracked with tears. She thought of her brothers and of Smith's warehouses burning to the ground. She thought of Victor's threat, of the promise in his eyes to destroy her.

"Why?" she sobbed, her voice barely audible. "Why is he doing this to me?"

She rocked back and forth, her mind racing with thoughts of revenge and hatred. She wanted to hurt Victor to make him pay for what he had done.

But as she sat there, something else crept into her mind. A memory of Victor's eyes, of the way he had looked at her with a glimmer of desire. A memory of his breath on her skin, of the way her heart had skipped a beat.

Ivy's tears slowed, her body stilling as she realized the truth. She was trapped in a web of emotions, caught between her hatred for Victor and her unwanted attraction to him.

And she didn't know how to escape.

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Victor stood in the living room, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. He had made his point, and he was confident that Ivy would finally understand who was in control.

He thought to himself, "That should teach her a lesson. She needs to know that I won't be trifled with, that I'm the one who calls the shots around here."

But as he gazed out the window, he couldn't shake off the feeling that had been growing inside him since he pinned Ivy to the couch. A feeling he despised, a feeling he couldn't understand.

He hated the way his heart had raced when he was close to her, hated the way her breath had mingled with his. He hated the way he had felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame.

"No," he growled to himself, his fists clenched. "I won't be swayed by her. I won't be weak."

He took another sip of his drink, trying to drown out the emotions that threatened to consume him. He couldn't afford to feel this way, not now, not ever.

"Ivy is just a pawn in my game," he reminded himself. "Nothing more."

But the image of her face, her eyes, and her lips lingered in his mind, refusing to be extinguished.

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The Smith brothers sat in their office, their faces twisted in anger. Ethan, the eldest, slammed his fist on the desk. "That bastard Victor did this. I know it." Lucas, the calm one, nodded in agreement. "We all know it, but we need proof."

Julian, the hot-headed one, paced back and forth, his eyes blazing with fury. "I don't care about proof. I want to kill him. I want to make him pay for what he's done to us." Lucas stood up, his voice firm. "Julian, stop. We can't just go around killing people without proof."

Julian spun around, his face red with rage. "Why not? He's ruined our business. He's hurt our sister." Ethan placed a hand on Julian's shoulder. "We'll get him, Julian. But we need to do it smart. We can't let our emotions cloud our judgment."

Julian shook off Ethan's hand. "You're always so calm, Lucas. But I'm sick of being calm. I'm sick of being patient. I want action." Lucas sighed. "Julian, think about Ivy. She's going to marry Victor soon. We can't just go around threatening to kill him."

Ethan's voice was firm. "Ivy didn't know what Victor was capable of. And she's our sister. We need to protect her." Lucas added, "And we need to think about the bigger picture. We can't let Victor win. We need to come up with a plan to take him down, once and for all."

Julian's anger slowly subsided, replaced by a calculating determination. "You're right. Let's come up with a plan. Let's take him down, and let's make him pay."

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Ivy sat in the empty room, her only companion, the silence that surrounded her. It had been a month since she last spoke to Victor, and even longer since she'd seen Max. Elijah had taken him away, leaving Ivy completely alone.

Maria, the quiet and reserved housekeeper, was the only one who still spoke to her. Ivy had tried to talk to her before, but Maria had been tight-lipped, only sharing small pleasantries. But today, Ivy was determined to get more out of her.

"Maria, how long have you been here?" Ivy asked, trying to sound friendly.

Maria looked up from her dusting, a hint of a smile on her face. "I have known sir since he was only 7 years old," she said, her voice low and soothing. "What a happy family it was."

Ivy's curiosity was piqued. "I have heard about the Blackwood Family, but I don't know who is in his family," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Maria's smile grew wider, and she put down her dusting cloth. "Master Ryder and Elijah are the sons of Mr. Edward Blackwood's brother, meaning Sir Victor's cousin," she explained. "And Victor's father died when he was just 20 years old. At such a young age, he started taking over his father's empire."

Ivy's eyes widened in surprise. "And his mother, where is she?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Maria's smile disappeared, and she looked down, her eyes clouding over. "Everything was fine until she left," she said, her voice barely audible. "After she left, Mrs. Adriana Blackwood got into trauma, and suddenly one day she died. Sir was completely broken. I saw him cry for the second time."

Ivy's eyes were wide with shock. "What! Who was she?" she asked, her voice full of urgency.

Maria stared at her, her eyes locked on Ivy's. She seemed to be about to say something, but then the door opened, and Liam walked in.