Chapter 17: Shattered Glass King
Zane stood before the rain–laslied window, a freshly delivered dossier clenched in his hand.
Torrents blurred the city lights into watery smears across the glass.
Scarlett’s doubt had festered. The moment his jet touched down, he’d demanded this report.
“You’re certain?” His voice was low thunder.
His assistant stood rigid. “Triple–verified, sir. Medical records for Ivy’s mother–forged. The oncologist’s signature? A ghost.”
Zane’s knuckles bleached white, crumpling the paper.
“…Continue.”
“Financial forensics traced multiple offshore shell companies. And this-” The assistant tapped an
iPad- “is her hidden social media account. Luxury hauls. Private jets. All timestamped during her alleged ‘financial hardship‘.”
Zane took the tablet. A photo filled the screen:
Ivy, beaming in a diamond choker worth more than most houses. Caption: [Ugh, obsessed with this gift! Thanks, babe! Love you!]
Posted the very week he’d mortgaged ancestral estates to fund her “mother’s treatment“.
Ice flooded his veins. “Bring her. Now.”
The office door swung open thirty minutes later.
“Zane~” Ivy’s voice was syrup as she glided in, hips swaying. “Missing me alrea—”
Her smile died at the evidence strewn across his desk.
Zane turned slowly. He slid a photograph forward–Ivy draped over a balding man at a Vegas craps table, his hand possessive on her thigh.
“Explain.”
“Th–That’s…” Ivy trembled, lunging to clutch his arm. “My cousin’s business partner! He insisted on a photo! It meant nothing!”
“And this?” Another photo slammed down–Ivy in a string bikini, flanked by three men on a yacht.
Date–stamped during her mother’s critical relapse“.
Chapter 17: Shattered Glass King
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All color drained from Ivy’s face.
Zane tapped his phone. Her own voice purred from the speaker.
“Zane’s so gullible. Cry ‘Mama needs marrow‘–he rolls over. Whine ‘cash flow problem‘–he wires millions. That fake project proposal? He didn’t even read it. Once the last transfer clears… Azurean Isles, here we come!”
“NO! Deepfake! Someone edited-” Ivy shrieked, tears gushing.
Zane seized her jaw, forcing her to meet his bloodshot eyes. “So the medical report was forged too? Your mother was never sick.”
“She… she…” Ivy’s gaze darted like a trapped animal. Then–defiance flashed. She wrenched free. “Fine! I lied! So what?”
Her tears vanished. A sneer twisted her lips. “Think you’re special? You’re a frozen statue. Without your money?” She barked a laugh. “Who’d tolerate you?”
Zane’s stare turned lethal.
“I targeted your bank account from day one!” Ivy spat. “Planned to become Mrs. Blackthorn. But you?” She snorted. “Too slow. So I faked a crisis. Took my payout. Lived like a queen.”
Her smile turned viperous. “Pity it ran out. But no matter-” She stepped closer, venomous. “I snap my fingers? My faithful lapdog comes running. My friends were right. You’re my best–trained
poodle.”
“You vicious-”
“Easy, tiger.” Ivy tapped the flash drive against Zane’s tie, sharp as a lethal blade. “Would the SEC enjoy Blackthorn’s… creative finances?.”
Zane lunged for it.
Ivy laughed, dangling it just beyond his reach. “Silly boy. This is one copy. How many backups
exist? Where?” She tapped her temple. “Only I know.”
Lightning split the sky outside. For a second, her face was a mask of pure malice in the white flash.
“Hurt me?” Her whisper was a serpent’s hiss. “The Blackthorn Empire becomes my funeral pyre.”
Chapter 17: Shattered Glass King
