Two days later, Cordelia stood in the center of her architectural firm in Manhattan.
The office was a mess of cardboard boxes and rolled-up blueprints. Two of Justice's massive bodyguards stood like statues outside the glass entrance doors, their presence a stark reminder of her new reality.
Cordelia taped a box shut. Her hands were still shaking slightly. The memory of Justice's confession in the study played on a loop in her mind.
Rosa, her assistant, walked in carrying a stack of files.
"You should see the internet, Cordelia," Rosa said, her eyes wide with excitement. "Julian is getting destroyed. The video you played is everywhere. His family's company stock is in freefall."
Cordelia didn't smile. She just wanted to pack her core designs and get back to Leo.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the reception area.
Cordelia's head snapped up.
Through the frosted glass, she saw a figure violently shove the receptionist aside. The heavy glass door to her private office was thrown open, slamming against the wall.
Julian stood in the doorway.
He looked deranged. His designer suit was wrinkled, his tie was gone, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He smelled like stale alcohol and desperation.
Rosa gasped and stepped forward. "You can't be in here!"
Julian didn't even look at her. He shoved Rosa hard in the chest. She cried out as she fell backward, crashing onto the leather sofa.
Julian stepped into the office and slammed the door shut behind him. He reached out and twisted the deadbolt, locking them inside.
Cordelia's stomach plummeted. She backed away until her hips hit the edge of her desk.
"Julian, open that door right now," Cordelia ordered, forcing her voice to stay steady.
Julian ignored her. He marched across the room and slammed both hands down on her desk, leaning his face close to hers.
"You ruined me!" Julian screamed, spit flying from his lips. "My father cut me off! The board is voting to remove me!"
Then, his expression completely changed. The rage vanished, replaced by a pathetic, manic desperation.
Julian dropped to his knees right in front of her desk.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a crumpled legal document.
"Look," Julian begged, his voice cracking. "It's the contract for the Manhattan landmark project. I got them to put your name as the lead designer. It's yours, Cordelia. Just call your lawyers. Drop the infidelity suit. Please."
Cordelia looked down at the man she almost married. She felt absolutely nothing but disgust.
She didn't say a word. She calmly reached over, took the contract from his trembling hand, and turned to the heavy-duty paper shredder next to her desk.
She fed the document into the machine.
The loud, grinding noise of the blades destroying the paper filled the room.
Julian stared at the shredder. The manic hope in his eyes died, instantly replaced by a dark, violent hatred.
He jumped up from the floor.
"You think you're untouchable now because you're fucking Justice Duncan?" Julian snarled. He reached across the desk, his fingers curling into claws. "If my family goes bankrupt, I swear to God, I will have my guys break both your hands. You'll never draw a single line again!"
Julian lunged across the desk, his hands reaching directly for her throat.
Cordelia didn't scream. Adrenaline flooded her system. She grabbed a heavy, solid brass architectural model of a skyscraper from her desk and raised it high, ready to smash it into his skull.
Before Julian's fingers could touch her skin, a deafening explosion of sound rocked the room.
Outside in the hallway, the heavy thud of Julian crashing into the furniture had instantly alerted the security detail. The lead bodyguard had immediately pressed his earpiece, transmitting the audio of the violent struggle directly to Justice's comms.
CRACK.
The solid wood door was violently kicked open from the outside. The deadbolt snapped like a twig, sending splinters of wood flying across the carpet.
Justice's lead bodyguard pulled his leg back, stepping aside.
Justice Duncan walked into the office, his phone still tightly gripped in his left hand, the live audio feed of Julian's threats still echoing from the speaker.
He was wearing a charcoal bespoke suit, but the aura around him was pure, unfiltered violence. His eyes were black voids.
He didn't say a word. He didn't hesitate.
Justice crossed the room in three massive strides. He reached out with one hand and grabbed Julian by the back of his collar.
With a terrifying display of raw physical strength, Justice lifted Julian off his feet.
He swung his arm and hurled Julian across the room like a ragdoll.
Julian crashed back-first into the drywall. The impact shook the entire office. He let out a choked scream and crumpled to the floor, gasping for air.
Justice stood over him. He held out his hand.
His assistant stepped into the room and placed a sleek tablet into Justice's palm.
Justice tossed the tablet. It hit Julian square in the chest and landed on the floor.
"Look at it," Justice commanded. His voice was so cold it burned.
Julian, trembling violently, looked at the screen.
It wasn't a complicated stock chart that required a clear mind to decipher. It was a custom, terrifyingly simple interface designed by Justice's wealth management team. In the center of the bright screen, massive, bold red numbers were ticking down like a bomb, displaying the exact, catastrophic amount of liquid assets evaporating from his family's accounts every single second. Below the numbers, breaking news headlines flashed in rapid succession: Major shareholders of Julian's firm announce immediate and total withdrawal.
"You touch my wife," Justice said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper, "and I erase your bloodline from this city."
Julian stared at the screen, tears of absolute despair streaming down his face. He curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as he watched his family's legacy turn to ash.
Justice pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped his hands meticulously, as if he had just touched a disease.
He looked at his bodyguards. "Throw this trash out of the building. Make sure he never enters Manhattan again."
The guards dragged the sobbing Julian out of the room.
The office fell dead silent.
Justice turned around. The terrifying violence in his eyes vanished instantly.
He walked over to Cordelia. He looked down at her hands. She was still gripping the brass model so tightly her knuckles were white and her fingers were flushed red.
Justice gently pried the heavy metal from her grip and set it on the desk.
He took her right hand in his. He looked at the red marks on her fingers.
Slowly, Justice lowered his head. He pressed his lips softly against her bruised knuckles.
It was a gesture of absolute devotion.
In the corner of the room, Rosa covered her mouth with both hands, completely stunned by the terrifying, beautiful monster standing in front of them.
