I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 05

I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 05

The kennel.

I snatched the cold brass key from the floor and ran.

Jackson had actually locked Chloe in the kennel.

And Chloe was terrified of large dogs.

The moment I rushed out of the lodge, Savannah-Claire’s tearful, concerned voice followed me.

“Jack, if you treat Ava like this, she’ll hate you. Maybe we should just forget it?”

Jackson’s voice was low and firm, as if he were soothing a frightened child.

“Shh, don’t worry. I just want her to calm down and learn her place as the mistress of this family. Some lines can’t be crossed.”

He paused, his tone laced with that self-righteous sense of control.

“I told the groundskeeper to watch them. Nothing will happen. It’s just a lesson.”

Savannah-Claire nuzzled against him, her voice light as a feather.

“You’re so good to me.”

Of course she knew nothing would happen. Because she had already paid the groundskeeper to make sure this little lesson became far more “interesting.”

The abandoned kennel reeked of rotting wood and wet earth. I kicked open the crumbling wooden door, and the sight before me made my blood run cold.

Chloe was curled inside a rusted iron cage, her face deathly pale, her lips cracked. She looked like a flower crushed by a storm.

Outside the cage, two adult black Dobermans paced restlessly, their muscles taut under the dim light, low growls vibrating through the air.

“Chloe!”

I took one step forward, and the two dogs stopped at once, turning their heads, their golden eyes locking onto me.

I didn’t dare move.

“Chloe, hold on! I’ll get something from the car to lure them away. You have to wait for me!”

“Don’t go…” Chloe used the last of her strength to reach through the bars. “Ava… I can’t… don’t leave me alone…”

“You’ll be fine!” My voice trembled, every word forced through clenched teeth. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My gaze swept the ground. I picked up a rusty iron pipe, the cold metal biting into my palm. Gritting my teeth, I charged at the two vicious dogs.

The next second, one of the Dobermans lunged.

I swung the pipe with all my strength and smashed it against the dog’s back. It let out a pained howl, but the blow only made it more savage. The other dog attacked from the side, its sharp claws tearing a long gash down my arm. Burning pain flared instantly.

I couldn’t care. I scrambled to the cage and jammed the key into the lock with shaking hands.

Click.

“Go! Chloe, go!”

I dragged Chloe, who could barely stand, out of the cage and half-carried her as we ran for the door.

We stumbled to the entrance, only to realize with dawning horror that the heavy iron gate had been locked from the outside.

I yanked desperately. The gate didn’t move.

“Open the door! Who’s out there? Open it!” I beat the bars with the pipe, screaming until my voice was raw. “Jackson! I’m begging you, open the door!”

Outside, the groundskeeper’s cold voice drifted in.

“Sorry, ma’am. Sir’s orders. He said you need to calm down a little longer.”

Jackson’s orders.

My fingers whitened around the pipe. In that instant, the last shred of illusion I held about him shattered, replaced by a cold rage I’d never felt before. He had truly intended to lock me in here.

In the moment I was distracted, I heard a rush of air behind me.

The two Dobermans lunged again.

I instinctively turned to shield Chloe, but she suddenly used all her strength and shoved me away.

“Ava!”

The next second, a Doberman’s sharp teeth sank deep into Chloe’s calf.

“Ah!”

A shrill scream tore through the dusk.

Blood gushed out, soaking through her jeans. Chloe convulsed in agony and collapsed to the ground.

“CHLOE!”

My mind went blank. I threw myself down beside her, tears pouring from my eyes.

“Why did you push me away?”

The dog tried to tear at her again. A blind rage took over. I grabbed the iron pipe and smashed it down on its head, again and again, until it howled and retreated.

Just when I was on the verge of despair, the iron gate finally creaked open.

I dragged the unconscious Chloe out as if dragging my broken world with me.

“Don’t be afraid, Chloe. We’re going to the hospital. You’ll be fine.”

The light above the operating room stayed on for nine hours.

Chloe survived.

But the doctor told me the nerves in her calf had suffered severe, irreversible damage. She would limp for the rest of her life.

I sat in the hospital’s stark white corridor all night, without moving.

Early the next morning, my phone vibrated four times in succession, four cold verdicts.

The first was from my lawyer.
[Ava, the divorce papers have been filed and are effective immediately. You’re free.]

The second, from an unknown number, dripped with Savannah-Claire’s venom.
[Jackson deleted the video you sent without even watching it. Want to know why? Because he trusts me, not you. Oh, and I heard your best friend is a cripple now. What a shame.]

The third was from Jackson.
[Come home tonight. We need to talk.]

The fourth was from Ethan Blackwood.
[I’m waiting at the law firm.]

Expressionless, I looked at the screen. My finger slid over the cold glass. I replied to none of them.

I stood and left the hospital.

At Charleston’s most expensive law firm, my lawyer handed me a document bearing the words “Final Judgment of Divorce.”

Then he led me into a conference room.

Ethan Blackwood sat inside, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, his entire presence radiating a sharp Wall Street edge that felt alien in Charleston.

Another document lay before him.

A marriage agreement.

Without a word, I walked over, picked up the pen, and signed my name: Ava Monroe.

From beginning to end, my face showed no expression.

The man beside me glanced down at my pale face, an unreadable curve touching his lips.

“You don’t look particularly happy to be marrying me. Regretting it?”

I lifted my head and met his deep eyes. Every word I spoke was steeped in ice.

“Ethan, help me settle this score.”

“I want the Devereaux family to pay for this leg. I want you to help me burn everything he has to the ground.”