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Chapter 854:
Crawford’s eyes narrowed. He assumed a bluff. “Who else in this city could possibly make you sweat p>
Arthur’s face went dead serious. He pulled the cigar from his mouth.
“Cole Compton,” he said.
The name struck Crawford like a blow to the sternum. His heart skipped a beat. The amber liquid in his glass trembled slightly as his hand suffered a brief, involuntary spasm.
“The man didn’t use media blackmail,” Arthur continued, his voice tight with genuine anger. “He used offshore capital. He threatened to initiate a massive, coordinated short-selling attack against my sovereign fund’s primary holdings in Europe if I raised my paddle tomorrow.” He took an angry drag. “He even had a team of ex-military contractors pacing the perimeter of my estate in Los Angeles. Straight-up cartel intimidation p>
Crawford’s mind stalled, then rebooted at full force.
The pieces crashed into place. Cole wasn’t broken. Cole wasn’t out of the game. That psychotic bastard was operating in the exact same shadows, using his billions to build an invisible shield around June — just as Crawford was doing.
Jealousy and territorial fury detonated in Crawford’s chest. His jaw locked so tight his teeth ached. The thought of Cole secretly fighting for her was a profound, personal insult.
𝘚𝗮𝘷𝘦 уо𝘂𝗿 𝖿𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘪𝗍𝖾 ո𝗼𝘃𝖾ls 𝗼𝗇
Arthur watched the shift in Crawford’s face — from shock to murderous clarity — and clapped his hands together with a laugh. “Well, isn’t this something? Crawford Love wants to use his media empire to play the white knight, and Cole Compton wants to use his bottomless trust fund to play the silent guardian p>
He stood, tossing his half-smoked cigar into the crystal ashtray. “You both think you can be her savior? Let’s see whose wallet and patience bleed out first. Your media guillotine and Cole’s financial terrorism just made me angry. You both pushed too hard p>
He walked out, leaving the door wide open behind him.
Crawford sat in the silence for exactly three seconds.
Then he hurled the crystal glass at the brick wall.
It exploded into a thousand glittering pieces. The amber liquid stained the antique wallpaper and dripped down like a wound.
Rhodes rushed in, hand on his weapon. “Sir? Do we authorize a kinetic response on Pendleton p>
Crawford stood, chest heaving. He took a long breath and forced the red haze from his vision. His eyes settled into chips of glacial ice.
“Pendleton is just a loudmouth,” Crawford hissed. “The real threat is Cole. That man refuses to die p>
He saw it clearly now — the nightmare scenario. If Arthur forced a bidding war at Sotheby’s, both Crawford’s and Cole’s secret shell companies would be drawn into the open. The invisible war would become a very public bloodbath. He could not let Cole steal the victory. He could not let June discover that Cole was still fighting for her.
“Contact the cyber-warfare team in Zurich,” Crawford ordered, his voice vibrating with quiet, lethal intent. “I want Pendleton’s personal financials gutted. Find a kill-switch. We have to take him out before sunrise — before Cole gets the chance p>