Betrayed and Sabotaged Before Vows Chapter 03

Betrayed and Sabotaged Before Vows Chapter 03 Humiliation At Hale Enterprises
After crashing in a nearby rental townhouse for one full day, I headed to Hale Enterprises to collect all my personal possessions and pull every business initiative I’d brought into their company. I intended to cut every last cord with Lila, with zero loose ends left unresolved. Once I’d finished packing up my things, I realized the USB drive holding all confidential project documents was missing. This venture was something I’d secured through my family’s corporate conglomerate; I’d originally meant to gift it to Lila as an engagement-and-wedding present. But now that I planned to walk away from her for good, there was no way I’d hand this valuable asset over to her. I scanned the entire work area and found nothing, so I started walking toward Lila’s private executive office. Just as I turned down the corridor, a voice called out from behind me. “Looking for this?” I whipped around and saw Ethan flipping my USB drive back and forth in his palm, taunting me blatantly. “Give that back to me,” I demanded, stretching out my hand to reclaim my property. A malicious smirk crossed Ethan’s face. “This project belongs to me now.” I had no desire to waste words on him. The files stored on that drive contained ultra-private internal corporate information that would cause massive damage if leaked to outsiders. “Oh, and don’t forget—this project isn’t the only thing I’m taking for myself. My sister’s mine too. Even if you two hold a wedding later on, you’ve always known you’re nothing more than a human cover-up for our dirty little fling, right?” Ethan’s tone dripped with unbridled contempt as he spoke. A bitter, scoffing laugh burst out of me. “So you’re well aware how shameful your twisted little bond truly is.” Rage instantly flooded Ethan’s features. “It’s obvious you don’t know your place in this dynamic. Let me beat some sense into your thick skull!” He raised his voice loud enough to echo down the hallway and called over the building’s security crew and his hired bodyguards. “Pin him flat on the floor!” I shouted a sharp warning at him. “You wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me!” Ethan narrowed his eyes, cold malice rolling off him. “Every single one of you knows how important I am to Lila. If you refuse to restrain him right now, you’ll all be out of a job by tonight.” The hired muscle hesitated a split second, then closed in to form a tight ring around me. I struggled with every ounce of strength I had, but they far outnumbered me. In short order, they slammed me to the cold tile floor and held me pinned down hard. I glared daggers at Ethan, every part of me burning with the urge to beat him senseless. He stared back at me with frigid disdain, his words laced with vicious degradation. “A stray mutt ought to act like one. I’m gonna teach you how to behave like a docile hound.” “Crush his face against the tiles! Make him bow and scrape until I say stop!” The next second, multiple hands forced my forehead into repeated brutal impacts with the floor. My skin split open instantly, warm blood streaming down my cheeks and pooling under my jaw after every blow. I locked my gaze firmly on Ethan, jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached, refusing to utter a single whimper or plea. I’ll burn his arrogant, cruel face into my memory. I’ll make him pay tenfold for everything he’s done to me today. Slowly, the thick rush of blood blurred my field of vision. I coughed up a mouthful of thick crimson blood, my sight fading to black as I lost consciousness and crumpled to the ground. Through the hazy fog of blackout, I heard a frantic, shrill yell cut through the chaos. “What the hell are all of you doing?!”