Chapter 16 Meet Up
Ariana Cole had spent years learning how to play the perfect girlfriend–soft when necessary, fierce when needed,
and always one step ahead.
Now?
She was playing a different game.
A deadly one.
Liam Carter had survived the audit, but he was far from safe. She had spent weeks chipping away at his empire,
but it was time for something more… personal.
It was time to make Liam Carter destroy himself.
And she knew exactly how to do it.
Liam had an Achilles‘ heel–his ego.
He believed himself to be untouchable, desirable, irreplaceable.
So what better way to ruin him than with the very thing he valued most?
His control.
His reputation.
His ability to keep his hands clean.
Ariana smirked to herself as she checked her reflection in the mirror. She had spent the entire day perfecting
the bait.
Her dress was black silk, cut daringly low in the front and hugging her curves in ways that made men forget
their own names.
Her makeup? Sultry. Dangerous. A whisper of temptation and a promise of destruction.
And the final touch?
Her perfume–a scent Liam once claimed drove him insane.
Let’s see if it still did.
Liam had spent the past week on edge.
The rumors about his infidelity had spread like wildfire. His company had barely survived the audit. And now, he felt like he was constantly being watched.
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<Chapter 16 Meet Up
So when he received a message from Ariana–one he hadn’t expected he was instantly hooked.
Ariana: We need to talk. Alone. Meet me at Avalon Club. Midnight.
Liam stared at his screen, his pulse quickening.
She had blocked him, ignored him, made his life hell.
And now, she wanted to meet?
The sheer power shift in her reaching out made his ego thrum with satisfaction.
Maybe she finally missed him.
Maybe she wanted him back.
Liam smirked, temptation winning over caution.
Liam: I’ll be there.
Midnight.
The Avalon Club was a private lounge, one that catered to exclusivity and discretion. It was a place where powerful men did dangerous things, where deals were sealed in shadows and scandals were whispered, not
exposed.
Liam entered, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his confidence unshaken.
But the moment he saw her, his breath caught.
Ariana sat at a private booth, bathed in the glow of the club’s dim golden lights. She swirled a glass of whiskey in her hand, her legs crossed in a way that made his stomach tighten.
She looked…
Unreal.
He hadn’t seen her like this in a long time. Not since the early days–when she was still his, when she still looked at him like he was her entire world.
And now?
She wasn’t looking at him like that anymore.
She was looking at him like she had already won.
Liam exhaled, masking the wave of longing that threatened to surface. He approached slowly, sliding into the
seat across from her.
“Avalon, huh?” he mused, his voice low, teasing. “Romantic choice.”
Ariana’s lips curled. “Is that what you think this is?”
Liam leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Isn’t it?”
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Chapter 16 Meet Up
She chuckled softly, taking a slow sip of her drink. “You always did assume too much”
Liam’s smirk faltered just slightly.
Her tone was different.
Not angry. Not bitter.
Just… calm.
And somehow, that unnerved him more.
He watched as she traced the rim of her glass with one finger, her nails painted deep red a color that had
always made him weak.
“You asked me to come,” he reminded her, tilting his head. “So what’s on your mind, baby?”
Ariana exhaled sharply.
That word. Baby.
She used to melt when he said it.
Now, it just made her want to rip his throat out.
But she didn’t let her disgust show.
Instead, she smiled sweetly, her dark eyes glittering with amusement.
“Why do you think I called you here, Liam?”
He smirked. “I have a few ideas.”
Ariana let the silence stretch.
Then, finally, she leaned in, lowering her voice.
“I know about your offshore accounts.”
Liam’s blood turned to ice.
For a split second, his smirk vanished, his mask cracking.
But just as quickly, he recovered.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ariana hummed, swirling her drink. “Of course not.”
Liam exhaled, relaxing slightly. “If this is another one of your games-”
“It’s not a game,” she interrupted, her voice suddenly razor–sharp. “I know everything, Liam.”
The tension snapped tight.
Liam stilled.
Ariana smiled, slow and dangerous.
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“Fake invoices. Overcharged clients. Money disappearing into shell corporations.” She lifted her drink, taking a calculated sip before meeting his gaze again. “Shall I continue?”
Liam’s heart pounded.
He didn’t know how, but she had figured it out.
And now, he was trapped.
But he wouldn’t show weakness.
Instead, he leaned back, masking his fear with arrogance.
“What do you want, Ariana?”
Her smirk deepened. “Nothing, Liam.”
That… unsettled him.
Because Ariana never did anything for nothing.
Liam studied her, his fingers tapping against the table. “If you think you can blackmail me-”
“Oh, I don’t need to blackmail you.” She tilted her head, watching him like a predator sizing up prey. “Because you’re going to destroy yourself.”
Liam scoffed, feigning amusement. “You really think that?”
Ariana leaned closer, her voice a whispered promise.
“I don’t need to think, Liam. I know.”
His throat went dry.
He forced himself to laugh, but it was hollow.
“You’re good,” he admitted. “But you don’t have anything on me.”
Ariana simply smiled. “Not yet.”
That was it.
Not yet.
Liam’s pulse spiked.
Ariana finished her drink, setting the empty glass down before sliding out of the booth.
She looked at him one last time, her lips curving into a smirk so devastating, so utterly confident, that it made
his stomach twist.
“Goodnight, Liam.”
And then–she walked away.
Without another word.
Without looking back..
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Liam exhaled, his entire body tense.
For the first time in his life, he felt something he never thought he’d feel
Fear.
Ariana Cole wasn’t just playing a game anymore.
She was out for blood.
And for the first time, Liam realized-
He might actually lose.
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