Absolutely. Here is Chapter 5: The
Not every predator growls. Some wear cufflinks.
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🕙 10:11 PM — Private Gala, Blackmoor Estate
Ashira's heels sank slightly into the velvet runway as she entered the ballroom.
Crystal chandeliers glared down. The scent of clove oil, old money, and burning ambition hovered in the air. This wasn't a corporate gala. This was a hunting ground.
And she was the kill—or the bait.
She knew.
Everyone had heard by now: Lin Corporation's heiress was making bold moves, and her contract marriage was showing cracks.
Tonight, people would test her blood.
She was ready.
She wore black satin that clung to her like armor. Thigh slit. Backless. Cold enough to intimidate. Hot enough to silence.
She'd been invited by a name she didn't recognize—Lucien Voss.
Investor. Takeover artist. Rumored to destabilize CEOs for sport.
She'd come because she knew someone was behind the leaks in her company—and Lucien's name had surfaced in too many side meetings.
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Lucien Voss Appears
He found her before she found him.
"Ashira Lin," a voice murmured.
She turned.
Lucien stood by the bar, tall, lean, black suit with a wine-red pocket square. His eyes gleamed like obsidian under candlelight.
"Impressive in print. Lethal in person," he said, smiling.
"Flattery's cheap," she said. "Try harder."
He handed her a glass of something red. "Then I'll get to the point. You're impressive. Your husband's losing grip. And I'm very good at replacing broken systems."
Ashira sipped. "Damien's not broken."
Lucien stepped closer. "No? Then why are you here? Alone?"
She didn't flinch. "To hunt."
His smile curved. "So am I."
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Meanwhile: Damien Arrives
Uninvited.
Unannounced.
He stepped through the rear hall with the silent confidence of a man who didn't ask permission. His black-on-black tuxedo matched his mood: lethal.
His eyes swept the crowd—and locked instantly on Ashira.
She was smiling.
At someone else.
The man leaned in. Too close.
Something cold snapped in Damien's spine.
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Collision Course
Lucien took her hand. "Let me make an offer."
Ashira raised an eyebrow. "If this involves money—"
"It involves freedom," he said. "Walk away from the Zhuang name. Come under my firm. I'll triple your capital access. Full control. No clause five. No leash."
She blinked.
"I don't need your permission," she said.
"But you need an exit," Lucien replied. "And I'm your parachute."
Before she could speak—
A voice cut in. Sharp. Male. Familiar.
"She's not jumping."
Lucien turned.
Damien stood a few paces away, calm, cold, unreadable.
Lucien chuckled. "Zhuang. I thought this was a party for powerhouses. Not puppets."
Damien didn't blink.
Ashira stepped between them, voice steel. "Stop. Both of you."
But Lucien smirked.
"Tell me, Mrs. Zhuang," he said, voice soft, dangerous. "Are you his wife… or his hostage?"
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Damien's Control Snaps
In one swift motion, Damien grabbed Lucien by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
Gasps echoed.
Security moved—but hesitated. No one interfered with the Zhuang name.
"Say that again," Damien growled, voice low.
Lucien grinned. "Struck a nerve?"
Ashira stepped in, hand on Damien's chest. "Let go."
His eyes didn't leave Lucien's.
"Damien."
He released.
Lucien straightened, lips bloodied, still smiling.
"This isn't over."
He vanished into the crowd.
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Outside — Limo, Silence & Sparks
Damien opened the car door. She slid in. Tension crackled in the silence between them.
"You followed me."
"You were meeting a predator."
"I can handle predators," she snapped.
"I noticed."
They didn't speak again for five blocks.
Then Damien murmured, "You looked beautiful tonight."
She blinked.
He rarely gave compliments.
"I wasn't trying to impress you."
"You never do," he said. "That's what makes it worse."
She turned, fire in her eyes. "What do you want from me, Damien?"
His voice was quiet, edged. "I want you to stop making me feel things I'm not supposed to feel."
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Sudden Interruption
Their driver's comm buzzed.
A flat voice: "We've had a breach. Lin Tower's secondary server room. Data was pulled. Real-time attack."
Ashira straightened.
Damien's hand closed into a fist.
"Patch us in," he ordered.
A screen lit on the seat. Security footage played.
Three masked figures. One flash drive.
And a voice:
> "Package delivered. Code name: Voss."
Ashira's stomach dropped.
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3:22 AM — LinCorp
The building stank of metal and ozone. Security scrambled.
Ashira walked past them like smoke, straight into the server room.
The drive was gone. But the burn pattern said it had pulled confidential legal data—her clause removals, her trade records.
She turned to Damien.
"You said I was the one drawing predators."
"You're not wrong," he said.
"But now they're inside the gates."
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Morning — The Fallout
By dawn, financial headlines explode:
> "LinCorp Data Breach: Strategic Divorce Imminent?"
"Zhuang-Lin Marriage in Legal Chaos?"
"Lucien Voss Offers Takeover Bid?"
The board panics. Shareholders demand explanations. Rumors swirl that Ashira planted the breach herself to exit the contract.
She storms into the boardroom, throws the evidence file down.
"I'm not the traitor. But I will be your executioner if you push me again."
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Final Scene: Broken Lines
Back at the penthouse, Damien pours himself a drink he doesn't taste.
Ashira storms in.
"You should have stopped Lucien years ago."
"I didn't know he'd come for you."
"Everyone does eventually."
Damien faces her. "You don't understand what he wants."
She meets his eyes. "Neither do you. But I know what I want."
She steps closer. Their faces inches apart.
"I want to be free. Of you. Of this contract. Of clause five."
His breath hitches.
"What if I don't let you go?"
She smirks.
"Then fall first. Break your own rule."
She leaves.
The door slams.
And for the first time in years… Damien Zhuang feels the sting of fear.
Because he doesn't know what hurts more—
The thought of her leaving…
Or the thought of loving her when he was never supposed to.
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