Content warning: This chapter contains graphic sexual content and emotional manipulation. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Do not mistake this scene for romance.

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The coldness in the boardroom was accompanied by silence. The long glass table gleamed under the overhead lights, but the reminder of failure lingers.

Seated at the head of the table is Mason, alone in the room he had always dreamed of ruling. To have everything under his control. But here he was, with his suit wrinkled, his tie hanging loose around his neck like a noose he couldn't decide whether to tighten or rip off. His shirt was slightly untucked, his hair disheveled as if...