Chapter 445

+25 BONUS

I sat there, just as tense as they were. The camera flicked back to the table just in time for the opponent’s return shot to fly out of bounds, and the arena exploded. My girl raised her paddle in victory, grinning. I couldn’t help but smile too.

As the victory music blasted, I spun my chair back to face Tanya. “She won,” I said, grinning like a proud mom.

Tanya wasn’t impressed. “You’ve watched your dumb match. Now, why are you really here?”

I pushed off the floor and slid my chair closer, crossing one leg over the other. I was still rocking the black silk skirt from last night’s dinner with Nate and Lena. Standing, the slit was subtle, but now? Sitting? It was showing off most of my thigh.

My skin, smooth and flawless, practically glowed against the dark fabric under the harsh hospital lighting. Tanya’s eyes went straight to my legs. Even though she was a woman, even though she loved showing off too, I saw the flicker of envy.

I got it. She hadn’t had the chance to flaunt anything in months—pregnancy didn’t exactly lend itself to mini-skirts and stilettos. But there was something else grabbing her attention: the faint marks Hayden left on me last night—still visible near the top of my thigh. Subtle, but clear enough for someone like Tanya, who knew exactly what kind of fun left marks like that.

Her cheeks turned red, her face shifting from embarrassed to pissed. “So, that’s why you came? To show off? Did Jace leave those?”

Classic Tanya—her insults hit without even needing to curse. But I wasn’t going to let her have the upper hand. I smirked, leaning in just a little. “Not everyone’s like you, Tanya. Daydreaming about someone else while lying next to your own husband.”

Her face went pale. “As if you’re any better,” she hissed. “You spent ten years in Jace’s bed, got bored, and moved on.”

I just smiled, completely unfazed. People could believe whatever they wanted about Jace and me. No one would ever guess the truth—that we never even went there. Explaining it to her? Not worth the breath.

“Who I’m with is my business. But trust me, I’m not lacking company,” I said casually, brushing her off. There was zero point in getting into a whole back-and-forth with her. It’d just make me look like I was trying way too hard to defend myself.

And honestly, I didn’t come here to argue about guys.

“Tanya, you wanna know why I’m here?” I sat back, draping myself over the chair like I owned the place. “I’m here to give you a heads-up.”

“Warn me?” She tilted her chin up, trying to stay tough. “So you are scared of me.”

I stood up slowly, closing the distance between us. Still holding the remote, I gently lifted her chin with it so she had no choice but to look me in the eye. “You can mess with me all you want. I don’t care. But you mess with my people? That’s where it ends. If Lena walks out of this fine, cool. But if anything happens to her…” I leaned in, lowering my voice. “I’ll make sure someone buries you.”

Tanya let out a cold laugh. “You think you can scare me?”

I didn’t say a word. Just stared her down until I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes. Then I pulled out a phone and glanced at the screen. It was recording.

Her face drained as she lunged for the phone. I dodged easily, laughing. “Seriously? You’re gonna try that?”

With one quick tap, I deleted the recording. But I wasn’t finished. I scrolled through her recent calls. Tanya panicked, making another desperate grab, but I leaned back, lifting my legs to block her, grinning as she fumbled. One unmarked number from last night caught my attention. Ignoring her frantic protests, I tapped it and hit dial.