Chapter 449
His fingers lightly trailed along her slender neck. “I’m having a horrible day,” he murmured, his voice heavy. “I don’t have the energy to entertain your wild conspiracy theories. Just be quiet and let me hold you p>
Despite his sudden vulnerability, she felt absolutely nothing for him. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Stop playing the victim. It’s not like you gave me a choice in the matter p>
“Then I suggest you behave. Stay quiet, and don’t push me into doing something we’ll both regret. I actually want to pursue you properly. I’d hate for things to get ugly between us p>
The warm rush of his breath against her skin made her stomach churn with disgust.
How could he even say something like that? He had abducted her, locked her in a hotel room, and was currently holding her against her will. Did he honestly think things weren’t already ugly? Their relationship had been dead and buried for a long time. She had no idea what sick fantasy he was clinging to, but it just proved how utterly delusional he was.
She cursed at him, shoving hard against his chest. The force of her push sent his wheelchair rolling back a few inches, but his grip around her waist remained unbreakable.
“Stop fighting me,” he warned softly. “I don’t want to leave bruises p>
“Then back off! I don’t want you touching me,” she spat out, glaring daggers at him.
“Since you refuse to say a single nice thing to me, I might as well shut your mouth,” he murmured, leaning in to force a kiss on her.
Before he could close the distance, a deafening crash echoed through the room. The hotel room door was violently kicked off its hinges. A swarm of men in sharp black suits flooded the space, instantly surrounding the wheelchair.
The crowd parted seamlessly as Lance and Mike, who were supposed to be in Cabinda, strolled casually into the room.
The bodyguards quickly subdued Barnard, allowing Camilla to finally tear herself away. Her gaze accidentally locked onto Lance’s. Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, a strange flicker of guilt washed over her.
Lance’s expression remained completely neutral. He stepped forward and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders before glancing over at Mike. “Well, it seems I wasn’t wrong. You’ve gotten incredibly lax with your security, letting a rat slip right under your nose p>
Mike offered a sheepish smile. “You’re overreacting, Lance. Valdoria is my territory. I would never let anything happen to her on my watch. Look, she’s perfectly fine p>
One of the guards dragged a chair over, and Mike took a seat.
Lance completely ignored the weak excuse. “I know exactly what you’re playing at, and I know nothing happens in this city without your permission. But she isn’t one of your employees, and she certainly isn’t your bait. Your men scared her. That’s a fact. You’ve built a massive empire and gotten comfortable, Mike. Have you completely forgotten how hard it was when you were just starting out p>
“Are you threatening me?” Mike asked, his tone as light and breezy as if they were discussing the weather.
Lance sat down in the chair opposite him. “Take it however you want. You know as well as I do that if I wanted to make your life difficult, I easily could p>
“Why go that far? We’ve been friends for years. There’s no need to burn bridges over a minor misunderstanding. I heard most of what she just said. How about I handle this piece of trash for her as an apology p>
“Save the act,” Lance shot back ruthlessly. “You just want an excuse to deal with a rogue subordinate, and it just so happens to intersect with the information Camilla is looking for. You’re doing this for yourself p>
Seeing that Lance wasn’t going to back down, Mike’s easy smile tightened.
Camilla quickly intervened. “Lance, let it go. If the two of you are close friends, I trust that Mike isn’t the kind of man to blindly protect executioners. I’m sure you heard what happened at the fishing village, Mike. That was just one of their many crimes. I hope you investigate it thoroughly and get justice for the victims p>
She intentionally kept the focus on the fishing village and didn’t mention her father. The incident with her dad had happened years ago, and her current leads were nothing more than educated guesses. Expecting a crime boss like Mike to dig into a decades-old personal tragedy was unrealistic. But since The Williams Group and Zachary’s operation were clearly tied to the current mess, she knew it was only a matter of time before the whole truth spilled out. Using Mike to gut The Williams Group was the smartest play right now.
Lance’s comment about Mike using her as bait confirmed that the crime boss was already highly suspicious of Clement.
“Of course I will,” Mike replied smoothly. “You’re way too impatient, Lance. You should take a page out of her book. Someone get Lance a drink to cool his temper. The show is just getting started p>