CHAPTER 10
Two days had passed since the Royal Rumble, but the memory of Ryle’s unleashed fury—the sickening CRACK of his fist against the stone beside her head—still felt vividly real.
“Next Royal Rumble, I will f*****g kill you.”
Lauren had spent the entire last day walking on eggshells, avoiding Ryle entirely. She wasn’t just avoiding him; she was avoiding that narrow hallway, that section of the training complex that now felt radioactive with his rage and her own reckless taunts.
She had earned his silence, but at a terrible cost. The incident had solidified the terrifying truth: Ryle Sterling was not just cold; he was emotionally volatile, and she had just proved herself an expert at triggering his hidden torment.
His final, enraged words about the risk of being a ‘pathetic lit
