Married to the Cold CEO

Chapter Eighteen

Travis Carter wore a wicked, almost lecherous smile as he fixed his gaze on Scarlett, his eyes glistening as if drooling. Without hesitation, he scooped Scarlett into his arms in a sideways embrace and hurriedly carried her upstairs.

Tiffany watched as Scarlett was whisked away by Travis , and a venomous smile finally crept across her face. “Hmph, still too green to fight back properly!” she sneered.

William Brooks, casting an almost affectionate glance at Tiffany, asked, “Does that satisfy you now?”

Tiffany pouted, “Wait until we get the video. Besides, this might not even be enough to truly intimidate her!”

William’s eyes flashed as he mused, “If she doesn’t want her reputation ruined, she’ll figure out what to do.”

Tiffany then laughed and grabbed Lucy’s arm. “Nothing beats Mother’s methods!”

It turned out that earlier that morning, upon learning that Tiffany had been outmaneuvered by Scarlett, William’s anger had boiled over. But after calming down, he realized that directly confronting Scarlett wouldn’t work—unless she voluntarily dropped her lawsuit and issued a public apology. Such a notion, however, was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Fortunately, Lucy had devised a plan: she installed a signal blocker at home so that once Scarlett returned, she’d be cut off from the outside world. All they needed was for Travis to take Scarlett upstairs and do everything possible—then their plan would be halfway successful.

Travis , a spoiled playboy who could get away with anything, wouldn’t pass up a woman delivered to him on a silver platter. Moreover, even if Scarlett tried to sue them, no one in that room could testify on her behalf. The room had already been rigged with cameras—and since Scarlett loved taking photos, they planned to use that against her, recording every moment until she was completely under control. With those videos in hand, how could she possibly resist?

William had originally planned to use Scarlett as a pawn for an arranged marriage, but this particular pawn wasn’t obedient; she’d hurt Tiffany, and William wasn’t about to show any mercy. Tiffany had been driven to the brink by Scarlett’s scheming, and that was why William reluctantly agreed to Lucy’s ruthless plan. And it worked—once they secured the video evidence, dictating Scarlett’s every move would be a matter of a single command. William coldly thought that if Scarlett played along, he’d even be generous enough to arrange her marriage to Travis Carter.

At the same time, a sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom raced through the night and pulled up in front of the Brooks villa. Maxwell Stone instructed his assistant, Zachary Young, to take Scarlett for the move. However, even after a twohour meeting, the house wasn’t fully cleared. As soon as Maxwell left the conference room, an agitated Zach informed him that in the afternoon, Scarlett had said she’d go home to grab her belongings, and he had agreed to let her pack and then call him to pick her up. But an hour later, Maxwell discovered that Scarlett was unreachable—her phone wouldn’t answer. Alarmed, he rushed back to the office to find Maxwell Stone, fearing the worst. Had he not known that Maxwell’s earlier meeting was extremely important, he would have dashed in immediately.

After hearing Zach’s report, Maxwell’s face turned cold as he commanded, “Go to the Brooks’ house!”

Maxwell arrived at the Brooks villa, alighting with a menacing aura. A BMW sat at the front; the gate was wide open, suggesting that nothing alarming was happening. Yet Maxwell’s instinct told him Scarlett was definitely inside.

When Maxwell entered, Tiffany was still saying, “After this is over, we need to back up that video—everyone should get a copy, just in case…” He strode into the house, and the three people at the dining table froze. Tiffany’s words died in her throat.

William was the first to react, “Maxwell, what are you doing here?”

Though Maxwell was known throughout Los Angeles, he regarded William with little respect. He shot William a disdainful look and asked, “Where’s Scarlett?”

His eyes then fell on the dining table. Noticing extra sets of dishes, Maxwell’s pupils narrowed. “Zach, search the rooms downstairs!” he ordered sharply before striding upstairs.

William’s face paled instantly as he chased after Maxwell, “Maxwell, you can’t do that! This is my home!”

At the staircase, Maxwell caught up with William and, with a single forceful kick, sent him sprawling into the living room before dashing upstairs.

Inside a room, Travis Carter had already shed his shirt, his impatience evident as he eagerly began to undress Scarlett. He had just ripped away the extra layer on her dress and was about to lift the skirt when, in the very next second, the door was kicked open.