Chapter 10: Nine AM Execution
1040 Words
*Hazel pov*
The morning sun hit the snow outside the chalet, reflecting a bright white light through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the private library.
I stood by the heavy oak conference table, my hands tucked into the pockets of my tailored cream trousers. My balance betrayed me for half a second, but I forced my face to remain perfectly calm.
Axel sat right beside me, completely relaxed, a crystal glass of water sitting untouched in front of him.
"Alright, let's get this paperwork wrapped up," my stepdad, Richard, said as he slid into the high-backed leather chair at the head of the table. He slapped a thick leather folio down. "Dominic, your family's legal team finalized the asset transfer details for the merger, correct?"
"Everything is ready, Richard," Dominic said, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he sat directly across from us.
Elena Vance sat right next to him, smoothing down her designer blazer, her eyes tracking Axel with a grin.
"Excellent," Richard muttered, reaching for his fountain pen. "We just need to attach the Westbrook family design patents as the standard baseline collateral, and—"
"I wouldn't sign that if I were you, Richard," I cut in.
Richard blinked, his pen hovering an inch above the paper. "Hazel? What are you talking about?"
"It's a liquidation trap," I said, leaning forward and placing my hands flat on the polished mahogany. I looked directly at Dominic, watching his confidence instantly falter. "Dominic isn't merging your assets, Richard. He’s using your design patents to clear a six-million-dollar private debt his family estate owes to a Tokyo holding firm. The second you sign that folio, my interior design studio is legally dismantled, and your company is stripped bare."
"Hazel, shut your mouth," Dominic hissed, slamming his fist onto the table as he stood up, his chest rising. "You don't know what you're talking about. Leave the finance to the adults."
"She doesn't have to," Axel’s deep baritone sliced through the air, smooth, dangerous, and completely level. He didn't even lift his head, his attention settled entirely on Dominic with a cold stare. "Because I’ve already bought the Tokyo holding firm, Dominic. Blackwell Capital acquired your debt facility at exactly six o'clock this morning. Which means... you legally answer to me now."
A heavy silence descended on the library.
Elena gasped softly, her perfect composure completely shattering as she stared at Axel. "Axel... you didn't."
"I did," Axel muttered, a slow smirk playing on his lips as he stood up, his massive frame completely dominating the room. "And as the primary creditor of the Reed estate, I am officially denying the authorization for this merger. The contract is void."
"You arrogant son of a b***h," Dominic snarled, completely losing his mind. He lunged around the side of the table, stepping directly into Axel's space, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "You think you can just march into my family's chalet and dictate my life? What are you going to do about it, Blackwell?"
In one swift motion, Axel grabbed the front of Dominic’s designer shirt and shoved him hard against the marble wall. Crystal decanters rattled violently on the nearby bar cart as the room fell into a terrified hush.
"Axel!" I gasped.
Dominic let out a strained, breathless laugh, his back pinned flat against the stone. But as his hand slipped behind his back, his fingers wrapped tightly around the heavy, brass handle of a vintage letter opener resting on the ledge. "Touchy... Think you're safe?"
Dominic lunged forward, the sharp brass blade flashing in the morning light.
Axel didn’t even blink. He caught Dominic's wrist mid-air, twisting it until the metal clattered to the floor, and in the same fluid movement, Axel pulled his licensed, sleek black pistol from his shoulder holster.
Chairs scraped against the hardwood. Someone screamed, as a crystal glass shattered somewhere behind me.
Axel's gaze never left Dominic’s trembling eyes. The anger radiating from him was almost blinding.
“Get the f**k out of my sight… or I pull the trigger. You understand me?”
Dominic’s confidence completely evaporated. He nodded fearfully, his face going white as Axel released him, letting him stumble backward against the bar.
Before Dominic could even straighten his jacket, the double doors of the library burst open.
Clara stormed into the room, her hair slightly disheveled, holding a folded piece of paper in her manicured hand. "What is going on in here?! Dominic! Hazel!"
She marched straight up to the center of the room, her eyes darting from Axel's weapon to the pale look on her fiancé's face. "I don't care about your corporate fighting! Hazel, explain this! I found this tucked inside my custom vanity case this morning!"
She slammed the document down onto the mahogany table right in front of Richard.
My chest tightened. It was the original proxy contract from New York—the document detailing the exact financial parameters of our fake engagement.
"What is this, Hazel?" Richard asked, his brow furrowing deeply as his eyes scanned the text. "A proxy contract? For an engagement?"
Clara pointed a trembling, furious finger at me. "It's a fake! The entire relationship is a lie! She hired him! Axel Blackwell isn't her fiancé, Dad! She paid him to play a part just to embarrass us at my wedding!"
Dominic let out a low, ragged breath from the corner, a dark glint returning to his eyes as he realized he finally had ammunition. "Well, Blackwell... looks like your little show is over."
I froze, the floor suddenly feeling completely unreliable beneath my heels. I looked at Axel.
Axel didn't look panicked. He slowly tucked the weapon back into his shoulder holster, every trace of emotion disappeared. He didn't look at Clara. He didn't look at Richard.
He stepped over to me, his large hand sliding down to completely wrap around mine, his fingers intertwining with mine perfectly in front of the entire family.
He searched my face, his eyes not leaving mine as he spoke. His voice was quiet, but every person in the room heard it clearly.
“Whatever this started as… it isn’t that anymore.” Axel said.
My breaths died instantly.
- Writer
