The Devil's Contractual Bride-Chapter 32: Smart

Lucian’s POV

Immediately Ethan’s smug words left his mouth,something inside me snapped.

I lunged at him without thinking.My fist was already cocked back, aimed straight for that perfect jaw when a thick arm hooked around my chest from behind and yanked me backward.

"Easy, Lucian!" Victor Hargrove,one of the oldest shareholders, who’d been on the board since my father ran the company, grunted as he hauled me away from the table. "Not in here Lucian."

I thrashed against his grip, my eyes locked on Ethan. "Get off me, Victor!"

Two more directors jumped up, forming a loose wall between us. Ethan didn’t flinch,he stayed seated with his legs crossed,watching me with an annoying smirk on his face.

"You’re making this worse for yourself," Victor muttered in my ear. "They’ll use this in the vote. Don’t go giving them ammunition."

I stopped struggling. The room was dead silent except for the papers ruffling in the air.

Victor loosened his hold but didn’t let go completely. "You need to leave now Lucian before security gets called."

I glared at Ethan over Victor’s shoulder. "This isn’t over."

Ethan tilted his head. "It never is with you, is it?"

Victor steered me toward the doors. I let him for old times sake. The moment we were in the corridor, he released me and stepped back with his hands raised like he was calming a wild animal.

"Go home, Lucian," he said quietly. "Or go to your wife but don’t come back here like this. You’ll only hurt yourself more."

I didn’t answer. I just turned and walked fast toward the elevator and made my way to the garage.

I hurriedly slid into the SUV where Marcus sat waiting "Get me out of here Marcus," I barked.

He pulled out without a word.

I already had my phone out, dialing before the tires even hit the ramp.

"Pick up, pick up," I muttered.

"Mr. Voss?"Richard Langston,my Attorney, spoke over the phone.

"I need you to do something for me urgently,Ethan Caldwell just showed up in my boardroom with enough proxy shares to force a leadership vote. They’re trying to oust me today without any notice or warning. I need you to get a court injunction to stop them right now."

"This is serious."

"That’s besides the point. I want you to get a temporary restraining order blocking any vote until proper notice is given to all shareholders including me.Pull every string possible Richard."

"I’ll need documentation—proxy filings, meeting minutes and the list of shareholders"

"I’ll send what I have from Clara. Just get on with it,I want that paper in my hand within the hour."

"On it. I’ll call you when I’m en route."

I hung up and forwarded every email Clara had sent me in the last thirty minutes which included proxy lists, emergency meeting notices and vote tallies.

My head spun,Marcus has been driving round the city for close to an hour now but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going back to that office without enough to fight with.

Less than forty-five minutes after my call with Richard, my phone lit up.

"Is it done Richard?"

"Yes sir,I’m outside your building with a freshly signed TRO from Judge Harlan. The judge assigned police escorts too,so you’re free to come into the building. Where are you?"

"I’m heading back now. Meet me at the entrance."

Marcus swung the SUV around in a sharp U-turn and drove on high speed to the office.

When we pulled up, Richard was waiting under the overhang with two uniformed officers flanking him

I stepped out into the drizzle. "You got it?"

Richard handed me the thick envelope. "With this,no vote can proceed without fourteen days’ written notice to every registered shareholder, including the CEO."

"Perfect,let’s go."

The four of us rode the elevator in silence. When the doors opened on the 42nd floor, the boardroom doors were still closed which meant the meeting was thankfully still on.

I shoved the doors open again and everybody stopped talking like they’d seen a monster.

Ethan was still in the same seat blooming in his anticipated victory while the others looked exhausted.

I held up the court order. "This meeting is adjourned indefinitely until notice requirements are met."

Victor stood first. "Lucian—"

"Read it," I said, tossing the papers onto the center of the table which skidded across the polished wood.

One of the directors, Margaret Kline, the finance chair picked it up and scanned the first page. Her face paled. "It’s signed by Judge Harlan. He granted Lucian a TRO."

Murmurs erupted.

Ethan’s expression didn’t change at first. Then he stood slowly, buttoning his jacket.

"Congratulations," he said softly. "You bought yourself two weeks."

I stepped closer. "You bought yourself a lawsuit."

He smiled coldly. "We’ll see."

Then, without warning, he leaned in and spat right in my face.

The hot saliva hit my cheek, leaving everyone in the room with their mouth wide Ajar.

"I’ll be back," Ethan said with a low voice so only I could hear. "And next time, you won’t be so lucky."

He turned, walked past the officers without a glance, and disappeared down the corridor.

One of the cops stepped forward. "Sir, do you want to press charges for assault?"

I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "No. He’s not worth the paperwork."

The officers exchanged looks but didn’t argue.

Richard touched my shoulder. "I’ll handle the follow-up filings. Go be with your wife."

I nodded once.

Then I was running down the hall, into the elevator and out to the garage.

"Marcus," I said as I slid into the back seat. "Let’s head quickly to the coastal road."

The SUV roared out of the garage and onto the highway.

We reached the accident site in just thirty minutes.

Police tapes were still fluttered across the road, sagging in the wind.Shattered glass glittered in the sun. The mangled guardrail had been partially repaired, but the drop-off to the rocky shore below was still visible.

Marcus killed the engine.

I stepped out slowly, scanning the scene.

Then a figure in a black hoodie, crouched near the edge of the tape with gloved hands sifting through debris near where Aria’s car had gone over. She was methodical—picking up small objects, examining them and pocketing some.

My pulse kicked.

"Hey!" I called out loudly.

Her head snapped up. Even from thirty yards away, I could see the whites of her eyes widen.

She ran before I could blink an eye.

I sprinted after her, boots pounding on the asphalt. "Stop!"

She was fast,she ducked under the tape, scrambling down the embankment toward the rocks. I slid after her, gravel biting into my palms but she was already disappearing into the scrub brush along the shoreline.

I reached the spot where she’d been searching. Nothing lay there but broken plastic, twisted metal and a few scraps of fabric.

"Fuck," I hissed, kicking a piece of debris. "She must be one of Ethan’s goons."

I straightened, breathing hard while scanning the thick trees. She was gone.

I was about to begin a search for the USB with the hope that she might not have found it when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was the hospital’s number so I answered instantly. "Voss."

"Mr. Voss?.a male voice spoke."It’s St. Mary’s ICU. Your wife’s awake sir."