Chapter 198 His Secret

    It wasn’t long before screams echoed from the hotel room–Samantha’s high- pitched cries of pain, followed by the sharp crack of what sounded like a whip and her gut–wrenching sobs.

    By morning, faint rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting dim light on the chaotic room. Torn clothes were strewn across the floor, a pair of high heelsy toppled near the couch, the sheets on the bed were a crumpled mess, and several empty bottles had rolled off the nightstand. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol and something far more sickening.

    Samantha was curled up in the corner of the bed, barely covered by a tattered sheet. Her hair was a tangled mess, hiding the bruises and tear tracks smeared across her face. One of her arms dangled from under the sheet, covered in fresh welts–red, rawsh marks, some still oozing blood.

    Mason stood beside the bed, calmly buttoning his shirt with a nk expression, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion. He bent down to grab his pants, slipping them on with swift, efficient movements.

    He picked up the room phone and pressed a button. “Send someone up to clean the room. And,” he paused, ncing at the broken woman on the bed with a faint, twisted smile, “take the woman on the bed to my vi. No one goes near her unless I say so.”

    Samantha had discovered his secret. There was no way he’d let her walk out of here. Besides, afterst night… he’d found something new to enjoy.

    Once he’d dealt with Samantha, Mason got dressed and headed to the Hawthorne Group. After today’s board meeting, he would officially be recognized as thepany’s new president.

    He had prepared everything for this moment, and now, the throne was finally within reach.

    When he strolled into the boardroom and confidently took the seat at the head of the table, the board members stared daggers at him.

    But Mason just chuckled, unfazed by their res. “Rx, gentlemen. Once this meeting’s over, you’ll all be reunited with your families.”

    Silence fell over the room. The board members‘ faces turned a deep shade of gray, seething with fury yet powerless to resist. None of them dared to speak out.

    They had all witnessed Mason’s ruthlessness firsthand. He used their loved ones as leverage, and now, the tension in the room was suffocating.

    “Well then, let’s begin the vote,” Mason said, leaning back in his chair, fingers inteced in front of him. A smug smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he scanned the room like a king surveying a hall of trembling pawns.

    The board members exchanged looks. One by one, they began to raise their hands, helplessly submitting to a vote whose oue had already been decided.

    But just as the vote was about to begin, the doors to the boardroom burst open with a heavy thud.

    Everyone turned their heads in unison. A tall figure stood at the entrance,

    silhouetted by the hallway light. His face was hidden in the shadow, but the aura he carried was unmistakable.

    “…Lucas?” one of the board members gasped, his voice trembling with disbelief.

    Mason’s smug expression froze. His pupils shrank, and he shot up from his chair. “This can’t be happening…..” he muttered under his breath, panic flickering across his face.

    Lucas stepped into the room with steady, unshaken strides. There wasn’t the slightest hint of the weakness or frailty the rumors had described. His sharp, cold gazended squarely on Mason like a de slicing through ss.

    His arrival shattered everything Mason had built.

    “Mason,” Lucas said, his voice low and steady, every wordnding like a hammer. “Your little show ends now.”

    Mason’s face went pale. But he quickly pulled himself together and sneered,

    “Ends? I don’t think so.”

    “You’re here just in time. Let’s have the board vote right now–let them decide who gets this seat, you or me.” Mason still believed he held all the cards.

    And to him, nothing would be more satisfying than defeating Lucas face to face.