SARAH I swallow hard as my fists curl into tight balls beside me. My nails dig into the skin of my flesh, piercing through it. Molten rage courses through my veins, poisoning almost every ounce of self control that exists within me. “The nerve of him to show his face here.” I seethe. Luke hears me, and inches closer to whisper in my ear. “Do you need to call security, ma’am? We can get him out of here in a second.” “And cause a scene?” I turn to look at my assistant. Luke quickly looks away from me, avoiding my glare. I do not blame him. He’s still young in this company. Young enough not to know that causing a scene is exactly what Aaron wants me to do. I refuse to give him that satisfaction. “No. Get to work. I’ll handle him myself.” Luke’s concerned eyes dart to the figure in my office, then back to me. He’s hesitant, but he doesn’t push against me or disobey my order. He simply nods and walks away, leaving me to my fate. I face the demon in my office. I can do this. I can do this. I repeat those words to myself as many times as possible, before pushing the door of my office open. Aaron doesn’t rise to his feet. He simply turns his chair, so he faces the table I'm quickly approaching. Goosebumps race to the surface of my skin, and not the good kind. As much as I do not want to accept it, it feels awfully discomforting being in the same room as him. Especially after what he saw last night. I didn’t think he would have the balls to show up at my office, but I guess that’s Aaron Connor. “What are you doing here, Aaron?” I ask, pulling my chair backwards so I can settle in it. He scoffs and lets his eyes wander around the office. I push forward. “Do you need a restraining order before you can understand that I do not wish to see you anywhere close to me ever again?” His blue eyes land on me. His smile grows thin, and anger flashes in his eyes. It’s gone before I get the chance to dig my claws into it.His grim smile slowly returns. “Contrary to what you think, I am happy to see you, Sarah dear. I did not think I’ll be able to meet you at the office today, since you were so busy last night, of course.” Heat rushes from my stomach to my cheeks. He winks at me, filling me with a ravaging urge to puke into the waste bin, or on his face. Aaron Connor is an awfully disgusting man, and his smirk upsets my stomach in more ways than one. I fold my arms across my chest, glaring at him with an intensity that slaps his smile from his face. I do not respect him enough to feign a smile, and it’s important he knows that. “I’ve had a wonderful night, as you know. I intend to have a wonderful day as well. You have already ruined it with your presence, but I intend to fix that as soon as possible. So…” I lean back into my chair, arms still crossed in front of my chest, left brow raised. “…why the fuck are you here?” He does a small twirl in his seat, and I roll my eyes. “Because I’m a major shareholder in this company? Am I not allowed to see what my investment is up to?” Bile shoots up from my stomach to my throat. I can taste the bitterness on my tongue. I hate that I ever let him get involved in my dream in the first place, but the mistake has been made. “Bullshit.” I curse, and he throws his head back in laughter. “You, my darling, know me far too well. And you’re right. You’re a busy woman,” he reaches into his pocket, and my brows furrow. He takes out his phone, glances up at me, and shakes his head as he chuckles lightly. My jaw clenches. I grab hold of the closest pen to me and tighten my fists around it. It’s the only way I can stop myself from hurling something at him. He scrolls through his phone shortly, then places it in front of me. Curious, my eyes drop to the screen. Mistake. Terrible mistake. Next thing I know, he knocks my breath straight out of my lungs. What. The. Fuck? My hands grow numb, and the pen rolls out of my left hand. I can feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. My lungs grow tight…extremely tight. I blink back the tears that rush to my eyes. Don’t cry, Sarah. He’s not worth it. I look up at Aaron. My lips are trembling, but my brain is at a loss for words. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asks, reaching for his phone and pulling it back to him. I knew he was an evil bastard. But this? This is low, even for him. “While on the video call last night, I thought to myself that I’ve never seen you look so slutty before, so fucking beautiful. Believe it or not, you got me hard for the first time in what? Years?” It is taking me everything I have to stay calm. “I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a screen record of the call. You know, for old time’s sake. But this morning, I had a beautiful idea!” He claps his hands and jumps to his feet. “In about twenty four hours from now, this video is going to go public, as well as a lot of screenshots I took. When the public sees it and it trends on every single tabloid I can lay my hands on, there’s going to be unanimous vote to make sure you’re dropped as chairwoman,” I swallow hard, watching him pace about my office. The fully air conditioned room suddenly becomes so hot. I find myself sweating, the collar of my dress is soaked. “After which, you would be fired from your position as CEO of this company. There will be some changes here and there, starting with the name.” I can’t take it anymore. I bang my fists against the table. From the corner of my eyes, I see some of my employees turn to my office, and I force a smile, before plastering my butt on my chair. I take in three deep breaths before looking up at Aaron. I refuse to lose my cool because of him. “You cannot do that, Aaron. You know you can’t.” He stops in front of my table and presses his palms on it as he leans in, cocking his right brow. I can see the annoyance stretched across the thin lines on his face as he stares at me. “You see, I knew you were going to say that. You have always underestimated me, Sarah. Always,” He pulls away and stands straight, tucking both hands into his pockets. “But not anymore.” He reaches for a file on top of my desk and moves it slowly, until it’s planted in front of me. I look down at it. “It’s our legal separation notice. I decided to help you get it done faster.” Fuck him! Fuck him! I try not to look at him, try not to let him see me squirm. I am terrified, shaking in my heels because I know Aaron can do every single thing he has promised he’s going to do. I hate him for that. I fucking hate him! I take the pen closest to me, but he pulls the file away from me, towards him. I shoot him a stern glare. “You do not have to sign it right now, my love.” I flinch at his last two words. “Don’t call me that.” I snap. The bastard lets out a chuckle. “Oh, come on. Don’t be a spoilt sport. Yes, we’ve had our differences over the years, but you’re still the woman I loved enough to marry.” “Stop.” “No, Sarah. We don’t have to do this. You do not have to make me do this.” I look away from him. My skin crawls from being so close to him. I might not have liked him before, but I’ve lost every bit of respect for him now. “You can come home. End whatever it is you have with those bastards, and I’ll drop this. We can both put the past behind us and be one family again. But, if you refuse and decide to be cocky, or even let anyone hear anything about this…” He moves away, and I allow myself to breathe. I can feel his piercing gaze on me, even as he takes a few steps backwards. “All it takes is one click. The worst your sugar daddies are gonna do is try to kill me. But you? You’ll have to live with the same forever. Can you really risk that, Sarah?” I hate that I have to, but I look up at him. “You know this is a criminal offense, don’t you? Blackmail? Revenge porn?” A bitter laugh tears through my throat. “This is low, even for you.” He throws his head back in laughter, clutching on to his stomach. I can’t seem to find the joke in anything I said, but he’s a fool. So I ignore him. “Sue me, Sarah. I’m literally begging you to. I haven’t gotten an opportunity to show you what I’m made of. Believe me when I say I’ve been desperately…” he holds his right hand up and presses his right palm to emphasize the word. “…desperately searching for an opportunity to.” When he drops his hands by his sides, his smile grows wider. “You have 12 hours to consider my offer. I hope I see you at home this evening.” He looks away from me to the file on my desk, then back at me. I’m still unable to speak. “Please, Sarah. Don’t test me.” Over my dead fucking body. But lord, how the hell did I get myself into this?