Chapter 227
Chapter 227:
When she saw the two red lines, her pupils contracted sharply. Every drop of color drained from her face, leaving her skin the color of ash. The sterile smell of the hospital crashed back into her — the agonizing, tearing pain in her abdomen, the freezing cold of the operating table. Her lungs seized.
Cole saw her go pale. In his arrogant, twisted mind, her shock was absolute confirmation of guilt. A cruel sneer twisted his lips.
He lunged forward with terrifying speed. He bypassed Crawford entirely, his large hand shooting out and clamping around June’s wrist like a steel vice.
Crawford roared and reached for Cole’s throat.
June raised her free hand and pressed her palm flat against Crawford’s chest, stopping him.
“Don’t,” she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried a chilling, absolute finality. She didn’t look at Crawford. She kept her eyes fixed on Cole. “Let me handle this p>
Cole didn’t give her the chance. He yanked her forward with brutal force, knocking the carbon-fiber crutch from her other hand. It clattered to the floor as he dragged her out of the conference room, his grip biting into the delicate skin of her wrist. He pulled her down the hallway and shoved her into the private executive elevator, then slammed his palm against the door-close panel. The heavy metal doors slid shut, cutting off Crawford’s furious shouts.
Crawford didn’t waste a moment staring at the closed doors. He raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke directly into his encrypted smartwatch.
“Security,” he said, his voice vibrating with lethal authority. “Lock down the lobby elevator bank. I want Cole Compton intercepted the second those doors open. But if June Erickson gives a counter-command, you follow her lead p>
He turned his dark eyes to Brogan. “Stairs p>
𝖥𝗶n𝘥 𝘯𝗈𝘃е𝗹 PD𝖥𝗌 𝗈𝗇
Both men broke for the emergency exit, their footsteps thundering through the stairwell.
The small enclosed space of the elevator became a pressure cooker of toxic tension. Cole shoved June backward. Her spine struck the cold glass wall with a sharp thud. He stepped into her space, trapping her against it, and leaned down until his face was inches from hers. His hot, ragged breath hit her cheeks.
“Where is it?” Cole hissed, his voice vibrating with malice. “Where is my heir, June p>
Her back ached from the impact, but she didn’t flinch. She looked up at him. Her eyes were completely empty — two black, bottomless voids stripped of any human warmth.
Her silence poured gasoline on his fire.
He reached up and grabbed her jaw, his fingers digging into her skin, and stared down at her with a sickening mixture of hatred and arrogant certainty.
“You thought you could just kill my child?” Cole sneered. “You thought aborting my baby would force me to sign the divorce papers? Did you do it so you wouldn’t have any baggage when you crawled into Crawford Love’s bed p>
June stared at him. The sheer, staggering audacity of the accusation filled the small cabin.
Cole’s grip tightened slightly. His tone shifted — from rage into something twisted and condescending, almost merciful.