Page 161 of Money Reigns
I don’t say a word.
Just lean back, calm and silent, letting the tension fill the room like smoke.
Break puppy.
And he does.
“You planted this,” he snaps. “Without my knowledge. Withoutanyone’sknowledge. That’s illegal. Unethical.”
I let the silence stretch until the air feels thin. Then, low and even, “My building. My rules.”
His mouth twists. “You think I’m going to what? HR? No. Fuck no. I’m going to thepress.” He jabs a finger at the camera. “Voyeur War Beaumont spies on his employees without their knowledge. Front page. Everyone gets to see the empire’s golden boy fall.”
That pisses me off.
My name. Dragged through mud. Smeared. Not because I give a fuck about public opinion, but because it would touchher.
I stare at him. Silent.
He shifts under it, but keeps his chin up. For once, he doesn’t look like a grinning puppy. For once, he bares his teeth.
Since when did Brody grow a backbone?
My voice drops. Dangerous calm. “What do you want?”
And just like that, the rage in his eyes flickers.
Confusion seeps in.
There he is.
The puppy.
Mypuppy.
All bark, no bite.
Holding leverage he doesn’t know how to use.
His brows pull together, lost.
He came in here with something that could break me.
And no idea what to ask for in return.
He fumbles, lips parting, trying to find an answer he doesn’t have.
And thenhervoice cuts in as she opens the door.
“War? I think—”
Fuck.
Olivia steps in, tablet in hand, eyes flicking up from the screen, and freezes.
“Oh. Sorry,” she says, gaze bouncing between us. “I didn’t see a meeting on your calendar.”
My jaw tightens.
