Claimed By The Billionaire Who Ruined Me

chapter three

Yvonne

“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely confused. Everything had been going well. What could possibly be wrong?

Liam’s voice on the other end was sharp, almost trembling with anger. “You’ve completely ruined Quill Media.”

The butterflies in my stomach shot up to my throat and choked me. “What happened?” My voice came out hoarse, my lungs tight.

But he didn’t answer. He hung up.

I blinked at my phone. “What the hell?” I muttered. Was this some kind of prank? Why was Liam so furious?

I hadn’t even wrapped my head around the call when my office door swung open. A man stepped in, his piercing gaze cutting straight through me.

Every hair on my body stood on end. My heart slammed against my ribs.

He was tall, towering with a jawline sharp enough to slice glass, dark hair, and those piercing grey eyes I had seen only in photographs. His presence filled the room, cold and suffocating.

Nathan Pierce.

Oh God.

I had published a major exposé on him just yesterday. Every journalist in the city knew he hated having his private life exposed. Now here he was, standing in my office.

“Miss Gates.” His voice was deep and smooth, echoing like a warning.

I shot up from my chair, my knees wobbling.

He hadn’t sent his men. He had come himself. I had stepped on the lion’s tail, and now I was about to be devoured.

“You’ve got guts, forging trash about me,” Nathan said icily. His anger was controlled but terrifying.

“I didn’t forge anything,” I retorted before I could stop myself. My voice was steady but my hands trembled behind my back. “We journalists uncover the truths you rich people hide.”

“Oh really?” His lips curved in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Too bad you aimed at the wrong person.”

“You’re nothing but a fake,” I shot back, heat rising in my chest. “You’re not even the real son of the Pierce family. You should be worried about your position, not barging into my office.”

Nathan’s eyes flickered and then, to my shock, he chuckled.

“You’re an interesting woman, Miss Gates. Only a few people dare speak to me like that.” His tone was calm, almost amused, but his eyes were glacial. “You have no idea how pathetic you sound, or the gravity of the situation you’re in.”

He walked toward me, I refused to move, though my legs wanted to give out. He stopped just inches away, forcing me to tilt my head up to meet those lethal grey eyes.

“You’re going to suffer for what you did,” he said quietly, the words sinking into me like knives. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into. You’ll beg for a way out, but you’ll be trapped forever.”

He leaned closer, his voice low and final. “I am your boss now, Miss Gates. Your entire life is in my hands, and trust me, I will crush it if I want to.”

Then he turned and walked out, leaving the air thick and heavy.

My legs buckled. I clutched the edge of the table to keep from collapsing. Only then did I realize I’d been holding my breath. His words had burned into my skull.

I fumbled for my phone and opened Quill Media’s site. My article was gone. Every post about Nathan Pierce that had flooded the internet yesterday had been wiped clean, as if my story had never existed.

“s**t… s**t, s**t, s**t…” I bit my lower lip until it stung.

And then, as if the universe was mocking me, a company-wide email landed in my inbox. Quill Media had been bought by Nathan Pierce.

My stomach dropped.

That’s why he’d said he was my boss.

My life was officially over.

Tears burned behind my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I grabbed my phone and dialed Madison. To my shock, she picked up on the first ring.

“Maddy?” I said quickly.

“What is it?” Her voice was cold, distant.

My heart skipped. “I’ve been calling you. Did you see the news?”

“Yes.” Just that. No emotion.

“And you have nothing to say? We worked on this together!” I shouted, my voice cracking.

“We didn’t work on anything, Yvonne. Stop calling me. This is all you. You should face it alone.” Madison’s tone was flat, almost bored.

Then she hung up.

I stared at my phone. Tried calling back. Straight to voicemail. She had blocked me.

What the hell?

How had everything fallen apart so quickly? Just yesterday everything had been fine. Madison’s attitude shocked me more than anything. Is that why she hadn’t come home? Did she know the report was fake? Had my best friend set me up? Why?

The thought carved holes in my chest.

I had gained everything in a single day and lost it just as fast. Worse, I’d earned myself a powerful enemy.

Why was life so unfair?

The scream rose up from somewhere deep inside me. I let it out, raw and unrestrained, my lungs burning.