Chapter 9 - The Lion AwakensNicholas Marino slowly pushed himself up from the table.
Grant rushed forward to steady him, but Nicholas waved him away with a sharp flick of his wrist. The billionaire stood at his full height, his tailored suit rumpled, his face still pale, but his dark eyes burning with the terrifying intensity of an apex predator that had just been pushed too far.
He walked past Grant, past the police officers, and stopped directly inches away from Victor Thorne.
Thorne forced a confident grin, though a bead of sweat rolled down his neck. “Nicholas, really, I was just looking out for your corporate security—”
Crack.
The sound of Nicholas’s fist colliding squarely with Victor Thorne’s jaw echoed off the crystal chandeliers of Hawthorne House.
Thorne stumbled backward, crashing into a service station and sending a tray of champagne flutes shattering across the marble floor. He clutched his bleeding lip, staring up at Nicholas in sheer horror.
“You arrogant bastard,” Nicholas whispered, his voice trembling with controlled fury. “You sent the truffle oil to the private chef last night, didn’t you? You knew about my severe iodine sensitivity. You calculated every single variable to take me out before the merger vote.”
Thorne stammered, wiping blood from his mouth. “You have no proof! You’re out of your mind!”
“I don’t need proof in a courtroom, Victor. I have something better,” Nicholas said coldly, turning toward Grant. “Grant, pull up the encrypted communications packet intercepted by our cyber-security team twenty minutes ago. The one linking Thorne’s shell corporation to the Hawthorne House kitchen supplier.”
Grant whipped out his tablet with shaking fingers, tapping the screen. “Got it right here, Mr. Marino. Full wire transfer records, IP logs, and signed delivery manifests.”
The two police officers immediately pivoted, stepping directly over to Victor Thorne and slapping steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
“Victor Thorne, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and corporate espionage,” the lead officer declared, reading him his rights as they hauled him up from the floor.
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Thorne glared daggers at Avery as he was dragged toward the exit. “This isn’t over! She’s a fraud! She’s a criminal!”
As the heavy doors slammed shut behind Thorne, the dining room let out a collective, breathless exhale.
