~Thomas' POV~
The glass of whiskey trembled in my hand before I slammed it on the table.
"Unbelievable," I muttered, pacing across my office, my reflection in the tinted glass mocking me.
And just then, the door opened as a familiar figure stepped in.
"She thinks she can humiliate me like this?" I threw the question immediately at him.
Victor, my right-hand man and packs beta leaned against the wall, arms crossed, confusion etched across his face. "Tessa!"
"Of course, who else!" I snapped.
"You didn't expect her to stay calm forever, Thomas. She had to retaliate somehow."
"Retaliate?" I spun around, eyes narrowing. "Retaliate against me? No one does that." My voice cracked with restrained fury.
Victor smirked faintly. "Then what's the plan? Because right now, she looks like the victim, and you…"
"I look like the villain," I finished for him, jaw tightening. "And you know what villains do, Victor? They rewrite the script."
He tilted his head. "Rewriting the script is one thing. Controlling the narrative is another. The media's already on her side. She's painting herself as the fragile heroine."
I scoffed. "Fragile? That woman is anything but fragile. She's calculated, deliberate. Every word she utters is a weapon aimed at me."
Victor shrugged. "And people love a heroine who suffers. You've given her the stage."
I stepped closer, lowering my tone. "Then I'll take it back. She wants to play a game of exposure? I'll show her exposure."
"Meaning?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"She has secrets, Victor. Everyone does. And I'll drag them into the light until she drowns in them."
Victor's lips curled into a sly smile. "Dangerous move. But fitting for the villain you claim to be."
I ignored his mockery and picked up the glass again, the whiskey swirling like my rage. "Villains win because they're willing to do what heroes won't."
"Or because they don't know when to stop," Victor countered.
"Stopping is weakness," I shot back. "And weakness isn't in my vocabulary."
He studied me for a long moment, then let out a short laugh. "Fine. I'll play my part. But remember, Thomas, scripts don't always end the way the writer intends."
I smirked coldly. "Then I'll just rewrite the ending too."
I yanked my tie loose and dropped heavily into the chair. My thoughts raced. Tess's tone kept echoing in my head, her defiance, her voice daring me to crumble. She had never once spoken to me like that before. She always opened my every word, down to quitting her job.
"She's using him," I said bitterly. "Robert Miller—the billionaire Alpha. She thinks standing beside him makes her untouchable. She forgets who created her story. I did. Without me, she'd still be nothing."
Victor's brow arched. "And yet she's not begging to come back. That stings, doesn't it?"
I glared at him. "Careful, Victor."
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Just stating facts."
The room fell silent for a moment. My mind churned with strategies, each darker than the last.
"She won't win," I said finally. "I'll crush her, and I don't care if she got Miller by her side. Their fairytale romance will rot before it even blossoms."
Victor tilted his head. "And how do you intend to do that? Council meetings? Media smear?"
"All of it," I snapped. "First, I'll strip away her credibility. She wants to play the innocent betrayed wife? Fine. I'll show the world she's nothing but a greedy opportunist."
Victor chuckled. "Defamation? You want to try that. It could get headlines, but she can still walk free."
I leaned forward, fingers drumming against the desk. "Then we escalate."
Victor's eyes glinted with interest. "Go on."
"She worked in a fashion. Industry, right? I'll buy the very ground she walks on. I'll choke the fashion brand with false images, force her into a corner she can't crawl out of, as they would trace everything to her. And when Miller ties to play savior, I'll come for him where it hurts most—his empire. His reputation. His money."
Victor nodded slowly. "So you want to wage war. You know he has deeper pockets than you, however Tessa already resigned in order to marry you"
A smirk tugged at my lips. "But I have what he doesn't, her history. I know every scar, every weakness, every mistake she's ever tried to bury. And I'll use it. After all,she can do anything just to have me"
Victor studied me. "You sound obsessed."
I shot him a cold look. "This isn't obsession. This is about power. She thought running into his arms meant freedom. She'll learn it means chains."
My phone buzzed on the desk. I snatched it up, scanning the screen. A journalist's text lit up: Rumors of Tessa and Miller's secret engagement gaining traction. Care to comment?
I laughed bitterly. "Engagement already? She really thinks this will last."
Victor raised a brow. "Do you want me to leak something?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Leak that she was still sleeping in my bed weeks before she ran to Robert. Twist it. Let the world question her loyalty. Scandal sells, Victor. And doubt ruins queens faster than any sword."
Victor grinned. "Cruel. I like it."
I stood again, pacing, fury boiling beneath my skin. "She thinks she's safe behind Miller's walls. But walls can crumble. I'll plant people inside. His employees, her colleagues—everyone has a price. And when I find the weakest link, I'll pull until their empire collapses."
Victor chuckled low. "That's the Thomas I know. Ruthless. Dangerous."
"Don't mistake this for a game," I snapped. "I'm not just after her. I'm after him. He humiliated me the second he put his arm around her in front of the cameras. That smug look on his face, like he'd won some trophy. I'll wipe it off him."
Victor leaned closer. "And Tessa?"
My chest tightened for a fraction of a second before I masked it with steel. "Tessa will learn that no one betrays me. She will crawl back, or she will break. Either way, I win. But I will ensure the former happens."
The silence that followed was heavy. My anger simmered into something sharper, colder.
Victor broke it with a smirk. "You really can't let her go, can you?"
I clenched my fists. "Letting go is weakness. And Thomas Wade is never weak."
I strode to the window, staring at the glittering city lights below. New York, with all its power and poison, stretched endlessly. Somewhere out there, she was smiling with Robert, believing she had escaped me.
"She thinks this is over," I murmured. "But it's only the beginning."
Victor joined me at the window. "Then give the order. I'll set the wheels in motion."
I didn't hesitate. "Do it. Start with the media. Target her reputation And line up Miller's rivals, I'll bankroll their wars against him."
Victor smirked. "Consider it done."
I exhaled slowly, a dangerous calm washing over me. "Good. Because by the time I'm finished, they'll both wish they never crossed me."
I can't let you go Tessa, not after what you did five years ago. You have to pay for it, I haven't permitted you to live peacefully.