Matthew slammed his fist against the wooden table.
The objects on top shook violently, and the sound echoed sharply through the quiet room.
He hurled his glass to the floor with full force, letting out a shout as it shattered. The crunch of broken glass under his shoes only grated on his nerves more.
+"That bastard... that piece of shit did something. Something's not right. My plan was flawless . there's no reason that bastard should've won the bid before the official date."
Jacob looked at him. His tie hung loosely around his neck, dark hair a mess over his forehead, veins bulging in his neck. If Matthew had the chance, Jacob was sure he could literally kill someone.
He opened his mouth to say something. anything to calm him down. but the truth was, Matthew was right.
He was just as pissed off.
Something was definitely wrong.
Their proposal had been the winning one. The Matthews team had crushed every metric.
Why the hell would the Stones come out on top?
And Jacob could still picture Mike Stone's smug grin when he told them:
/"A little early to start losing, huh?"
There was no way this was clean.
Matthew was pacing the room, running his hands through his hair.
It was near midnight. They were both beyond exhausted.
A heavy silence followed.
Finally, Matthew dropped down onto the couch, elbows on his knees, fingers pressing into his temples.
+"What are the chances they had access to our files?"
His voice was quieter now.
_"What are you saying, Matthew? You think… we got a leak? Or…"
+"I don't think it came from our people. Most likely... they got into the system. Hacked it. Because there's no one who could..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
His face went blank. He stared at the floor, eyes wide and unblinking.
Jacob watched him, questions swirling in his mind.
Matthew clenched his jaw, then hissed through his teeth:
+"It better not be her. Or I swear, I'll ruin her so bad she'll wish for death every damn day."
_"Who?"
Jacob asked, confused.
But Matthew didn't respond.
He grabbed his coat, tossing it over his shoulder, and headed for the door.
+"Go back to the mansion."
Jacob stood up, alarmed.
_"Matthew, what the hell's going on?! What are you thinking?"
But Matthew didn't look back.
He strode toward the elevator.
He barked at security to clear the car he was driving himself.
He got in, slammed the door, and the tires screeched as he tore out of the building.
On the way, he hit the steering wheel several times, swore at himself a hundred more.
How the fuck had he been so blind?
His mind was already picturing her buried six feet under.
With the way he was driving, it only took thirty minutes to reach the estate.
He pulled up all the way to the front steps, slammed the brakes, and jumped out without even turning off the engine. Dust clouded around the wheels.
He yelled at the guards:
+"If there's anyone inside. get them out. Two minutes!"
He stormed up the steps, took the elevator, entered the security code.
His temples were pounding, his jaw tingling from how tightly he was clenching it.
The headache was splitting him open. He was on the verge of snapping.
He opened the door, grabbed his phone, and activated the central lock.
The last thing he needed was Jacob interrupting this.
He glanced around the room. No sign of her in the kitchen.
He threw his coat onto the floor, and halfway up the stairs, his vest joined it.
+"I'll kill you… I'll fucking kill you…"
+"You better be dead already, bitch."
He made his way to Diana's room and opened the door without a sound.
His eyes scanned the space.
She was out on the balcon, legs tucked up, sitting on a chair, laptop on her thighs.
Matthew's eyes drifted to the screen.
Lines of code scrolled down.
Programming code.
Familiar enough to him.
Familiar enough to make the blood drain from his face and the rage boil straight to the surface.
He was already at the boiling point.
Matthew stormed toward her. Diana, sensing someone approaching, quickly turned her head.
He grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her with force. The chair behind her fell with a loud crash.
Diana was too stunned to react, she could only stare at him with wide, frightened eyes.
Her mind raced to figure out what had just happened. Was he angry? Did she unknowingly do something wrong?
She tried to breathe. The pressure around her neck, the pounding of her heart, and the sharp pain.
it was overwhelming.
She reached for his hands, struggling to ease his grip.
-"St-stop…"
she gasped.
Tears welled in her eyes. Through the blur, she could barely make out his face.
He looked furious. That scared her more than anything.
-"I said let go… please…"
she barely whispered.
Matthew looked at her flushed face, then abruptly let her go, shoving her aside.
Diana fell hard against the side table. Her head hit something sharp. She felt a sudden wetness at her forehead, warm and sticky.
Dazed, she placed a shaky hand on her neck and tried to breathe through the panic.
She touched her forehead. pain seared through her skull. Her fingertips came back bloody.
-"W-What… what's happening?"
she whimpered.
-"Why? Why are you doing this?"
And finally, the tears broke free.
She didn't know whether it was from pain, confusion, or both.
+"Talk!"
Matthew's voice thundered again.
+"Talk, before I lose my mind."
She sobbed.
-"What should I say? I don't even know what's going on…"
He lunged again, grabbing her by the collar and yanking her up.
+"When did you speak to Stone, huh? When?"
-"Stone? Who's Stone?" she cried out.
-"I don't even know what you're talking about!"
The slap came fast too hard. Her head reeled back and her lip split open.
+"Speak!"
he shouted again.
+"Tell me the truth!"
-"I don't..I don't know!"
she pleaded through the tears.
Another blow. Her nose started bleeding this time.
Diana gripped his arm, trying to resist, but as soon as he released her, she collapsed to the floor.
Matthew stood over her, his face unreadable. He grabbed her arm again and pulled her onto the bed, forcing her to lie face-down. He bound her wrists tightly behind her back using his tie.
Diana sobbed uncontrollably. Her mind couldn't process what was happening or why.
Matthew left the room briefly and returned.
He turned her over. Her arms were still bound. Her upper body lay on the bed, her legs dangling.
Standing over her, Matthew stared down.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Blood trickled from her forehead into her hair. The slap mark still burned on her face.
He growled in a low voice:
+"You're not going to tell me, are you? How much did that bastard Stone pay you? When did you meet him?"
Through choked sobs, Diana pleaded:
-"I swear to God, I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm Diana. I'm not… whoever you think I am."