Chapter 358

The air crackled with tension as Adrian Blackwood stood over Maxwell Sterling's battered form. His knuckles were raw from the fight, but the adrenaline still coursed through his veins.

Vivian Hartley's lips curled in disgust. "You did this to yourself. Did you really think you could threaten me?"

Maxwell spat crimson onto the pavement, his smirk defiant despite his injuries. "I offered you everything. If you'd just accepted my proposal, we wouldn't be here. Your ambition destroyed us both."

He struggled to turn his head toward Adrian, but Ethan Caldwell's iron grip kept him immobilized.

Gritting through the pain, Maxwell forced out his words. "The media already thinks you're trash. After tonight, there's no coming back for you."

"Pathetic," Vivian hissed, her eyes flashing with contempt.

Adrian stepped forward, his designer shoe connecting sharply with Maxwell's jaw. "Enough," he growled, his voice like ice.

Blood and broken teeth spilled from Maxwell's mouth as he choked out a laugh. "You'll regret this, Vivian!"

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder until police vehicles flooded the parking lot. Officers swarmed the scene, wrenching Maxwell from Ethan's grasp and cuffing his wrists behind his back.

"Maxwell Sterling, you're under arrest for armed robbery and aggravated assault," the lead officer announced. "You have the right to remain silent."

Maxwell's hate-filled gaze burned into Vivian and Adrian as officers dragged him away. Vivian held his stare unflinchingly. With these charges, his privileged life was over.

The officer approached Adrian. "Mr. Blackwood, we appreciate your—"

Vivian cut him off sharply. "Any statements can wait. He's bleeding heavily and needs medical attention immediately."

"Of course, Mrs. Blackwood," the officer conceded, stepping aside.

Dr. Harrison rushed forward with his medical kit, carefully cutting away Adrian's bloodied sleeve to assess the wound. Vivian hovered anxiously, her fingers twisting together.

"Be careful with him," she urged the doctor. "Are the tendons damaged? Will he regain full mobility?"

Adrian watched her fret with quiet amusement. The pain meant nothing to him—he'd endured worse. But seeing her like this, he couldn't resist playing it up.

"It hurts," he murmured, his voice deliberately strained.

Vivian's hands fluttered toward him before she caught herself. The doctor continued working, oblivious to the charged silence between them.

The night's events had changed everything. And as the flashing lights reflected in Vivian's worried eyes, Adrian knew one thing for certain—this was only the beginning.