Chapter 156

Serena's POV

If I were to die, to die like this, by Ian... I would die with such a heavy heart. But I did not plead. I only glared at Ian, my eyes bloodshot.

His grip on my throat suddenly loosened, and I could breathe again. For a split second, I'd truly believed I might die, but my rational mind knew better - Ian Whitmore didn't have the courage for murder.

I watched him pace across the room. The confident facade was cracking, revealing glimpses of the coward beneath.

When he turned back to face me, there was something new in his hand that made my blood run cold. A small vial. Even maintaining my composure, I couldn't quite hide the flash of panic in my eyes.

"Scared now, Serena?" His voice was soft, almost gentle. "You should be."

"What is that?" I kept my voice steady, though my heart was racing.

"Just something to help you relax." He smiled, and it was terrible in its tenderness. "To remind you of how things should be between us."

A wave of revulsion washed over me. "You're even more pathetic than I thought, Ian. Is this what you've become? A man who needs drugs to force a woman to want him?"

His expression twisted. "Three years, Serena! Three years we were together, and I never laid a finger on you without your permission. I respected you!" The vial trembled in his hand. "And how did you repay that respect? By jumping into bed with Lucas Harrington!"

I actually laughed then, a sharp, bitter sound. "Respect? Is that what you call it? Tell me, Ian, was Nina keeping you satisfied all that time? Did you think about me at all while you were in her bed?"

"Don't you dare bring Nina into this!" But I could see I'd struck a nerve. His composure was slipping further.

"Why not? She's as much a part of this as anyone." I met his gaze steadily. "But you know what's funny? Nina doesn't love you, Ian. She never has. She only wants what I have - always has. Everything I want, she tries to take."

He scoffed, but there was uncertainty in his eyes now. "You're delusional. Nina loves me. She's supported me through everything-"

"Really?" I arched an eyebrow. "Then why isn't the Sinclair family helping Whitmore Corp through this crisis? If Nina truly loves you, where's their investment? Why are they standing back, watching your company crumble?"

The vial in his hand lowered slightly as doubt crept across his face.

"Let me spell it out for you, since you're too blind to see it." My voice was cold, precise. "This whole situation? It's her perfect setup. Once anything happens between us here, Nina will have exactly what she wants - proof of your infidelity. She'll play the heartbroken victim, use it as her excuse to leave you. And then? The Sinclairs can openly refuse to help your family's company. No one will question it, given your 'betrayal.'"

"You're lying," he whispered, but the conviction was gone from his voice.

"Am I? Think about it, Ian. Nina's always been calculating. She learned from the best - watching me all these years. But she lacks the nerve to make the hard choices herself. This way, she gets everything she wants. A clean break from you, her family's approval, and best of all? She gets to hurt me in the process."

I could see my words hitting home, each one finding its mark with surgical precision. The vial trembled more violently in his hand.

"The Whitmore name is already tainted by the financial crisis," I continued relentlessly. "Add a scandal like this? Your reputation would be destroyed. Nina walks away clean, while you lose everything. She's playing you like a puppet, and you're too arrogant to see the strings."

The silence that followed was deafening. I watched the realization dawn in his eyes, followed by the first stirrings of genuine fear. The careful plan he thought he'd crafted was unraveling before him, revealing the trap he'd walked right into.

"You're wrong," he said finally, but his voice lacked conviction. "Nina wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't she? When have you ever really known what Nina is capable of?" I laughed softly. "You thought you were so clever, Ian. But you're just another piece on her chessboard. And you've played exactly the move she wanted."

The vial slipped from his fingers, hitting the carpet with a muted thud. His face had gone ashen, and I knew I'd won. The logic was irrefutable, the trap too obvious now that I'd pointed it out.

The silence stretched between us. My words about Nina had shattered something in Ian, but not in the way I'd hoped. Instead of opening his eyes, he'd retreated further into denial, his expression hardening with dangerous conviction.

"You're wrong about Nina," he snarled. "She loves me more than herself. Your manipulations won't work, Serena." His fingers clenched around the vial he'd retrieved from the floor. "Nina would never calculate like that. She's pure, unlike you."

I watched him pace, my wrists aching from the restraints. "Pure? Is that why you're acting on her behalf, doing her dirty work?"

He whirled on me. "This has nothing to do with Nina! This is about you, about what you deserve!"

Before I could react, he was on me, one hand forcing my jaw open while the other brought the vial to my lips. I struggled, but bound as I was, there was little I could do. The bitter pill slid down my throat, followed by water that nearly made me choke.

"Perfect," he whispered, stepping back to watch me with unsettling intensity. "Soon you'll understand what real desire feels like."

Horror crept through me as understanding dawned. "Psychs? Really, Ian? Did Nina suggest this sophisticated approach?"

"Stop bringing her into this!" His composure cracked again. "Nina would never... she's not that calculating!"

"So you admit what you're doing is despicable?" I kept my voice steady despite the growing fear of what the drug might do. "The great Ian Whitmore, reduced to drugging women. What would your parents think?"

His laugh was ugly. "You won't be in any position to tell them." He pulled out his phone, checking the settings. "Once I have video of you begging for it, you won't dare speak a word. How would Lucas react to seeing you like that? You won't even be worthy of being his mistress."

I forced down the panic rising in my throat. Think, Serena. Focus. "You think this will break me? I survived worse at eighteen. This won't destroy me, Ian. But it will destroy you and what's left of the Whitmore name."

"Empty threats." But his hands weren't quite steady as he set up the phone. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"No, you have no idea what I'm capable of." My voice was ice. "I've faced public scandal before. I rebuilt from nothing. But you? The mighty Whitmore heir, caught drugging and assaulting a woman? Your company is already on the brink. This scandal would push it over the edge."

He paced again, agitation clear in every movement. "You're bluffing. Once the video spreads-"

"Once the video spreads, every business contact you have will drop you. Your reputation will be destroyed. Even Nina won't be able to save you - though I doubt she'll try. She'll probably be the first to condemn you publicly."

My hands clenched into fists as I fought to stay focused through the first wave of dizziness. The drug was starting to take effect, but I refused to let it show. "You'll lose everything, Ian. Your company, your reputation, your freedom. Was revenge really worth it?"

"Shut up!" He raked his fingers through his perfectly styled hair, destroying its careful arrangement. "You don't understand anything!"

"I understand everything." I met his wild gaze steadily. "I understand that you're still that insecure boy playing at power, desperate to prove yourself. But this? This just proves how weak you really are."

The phone trembled in his hand. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Always analyzing, always calculating. But your body will betray you soon enough. The drug will make sure of that."