Chapter 320

Author’s POV
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the opulent dining area of the Dynasty Hotel as David Anderson and his wife Sophie arrived right on the dot at two o’clock. The restaurant, with its crystal chandeliers and white linen tablecloths, seemed to perfectly frame the power play about to unfold.
David kept checking his watch nervously as they sat at the reserved table. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty. Sophie kept her game face on, but the slight tapping of her manicured fingernails against her water glass gave away her nerves.
“He’s playing mind games with us,” David muttered, adjusting his Italian silk tie.
When Ryan Blackwood finally appeared at the entrance, the entire restaurant seemed to hold its breath. Conversations dimmed. Waiters straightened their posture. He moved like a predator who owned the place, his tailored charcoal suit emphasizing his commanding presence.
Sophie’s breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes locked onto him with laser intensity. Ryan still radiated that cold, untouchable aura that had once drawn her to him like a moth to a deadly flame.
Ryan’s gaze swept the restaurant like a scanner until it landed on their table. The flash of recognition in his steel-blue eyes when he spotted Sophie was immediately replaced by something darker—something lethal. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Well, well,” he thought, connecting the dots between Sophie’s presence and the plagiarism allegations against Serena. The timing was way too convenient to be coincidence.
David jumped to his feet, extending his hand with forced enthusiasm. “Mr. Blackwood, great to finally meet face-to-face.”
Ryan looked at David’s outstretched hand like it was contaminated before coolly taking his seat without shaking it. The deliberate diss made David’s smile crack.
Sophie, ever the professional manipulator, swooped in to defuse the tension. She placed her hand on David’s arm with practiced sweetness, guiding him back to his chair.
“Mr. Blackwood,” she purred, her voice honey-sweet, “it’s been ages.”
David’s head whipped toward his wife, his brow furrowing. “You two have history?” The question dropped like a bomb.
Ryan completely iced her out, focusing his arctic gaze on David instead. “Let’s cut to the chase. We’re here to discuss business.”
Sophie’s smile stayed plastered on, but her hands betrayed her with a slight tremor. After all these years, Ryan could still make her feel like dirt with just a look. She shot David a meaningful glance—a silent signal to take the wheel.
David cleared his throat. “About our potential partnership, Mr. Blackwood. ARt can offer you the deal of a lifetime. The question is—what’s your value proposition?”
Ryan leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a tone that could freeze hell over.
“My wife has been dragged through the mud with false plagiarism accusations, and ARt just happens to have the magic wand to clear her name.” His eyes narrowed to deadly slits. “Before we talk business, I want an explanation for that remarkable coincidence.”
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Sophie’s knuckles turned white beneath the table as she clenched her fists.
“He’s still obsessed with that bitch,” she seethed internally. “After everything, he’s willing to torch business deals just to protect her.”
David maintained his composure, though his confident smile had developed some serious cracks. “No need to get hostile, Mr. Blackwood. If ARt needs to step in on this unfortunate plagiarism matter, I’m happy to help out.” He spread his hands in mock generosity. “But first, I’d prefer we establish some mutual trust. I only go to bat for friends, you understand.”
The naked quid pro quo hung between them like a gauntlet.
Ryan’s lips curved into something that might charitably be called a smile, but his eyes stayed ice-cold. His attention pivoted to Sophie with deliberate slowness.
“And who exactly is this crashing our business meeting?” The dismissive tone could have cut glass.
David turned toward his wife, catching her staring at Ryan like she wanted to devour him. The air crackled with unspoken history.
Sophie recovered quickly, her social training kicking into overdrive. “I’m David’s wife, Sophie Anderson. We may have crossed paths in New York some years ago, though I imagine someone of your stature meets countless people She let the implication of his forgetfulness hang, a small revenge for his brush-off.
Ryan let out a short, brutal laugh. “I wasn’t aware CEOs needed their wives as wingmen for business discussions.”
David’s face went beet red. “Watch your mouth, Blackwood. Sophie isn’t just my wife—she’s ARt’s General Manager and one of our star players. Her presence here is completely appropriate.”
“Is that right?” Ryan’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Sophie kept her poker face, but inside she was burning up. Once, this man had looked at her with desire. Now there was nothing but pure contempt.
“If we’re done with the introductions,” Ryan continued, his voice shifting to ice-cold efficiency, “then here are my terms: ARt publicly clears my wife’s name of these plagiarism allegations—with hard evidence—and only then will I consider any partnership.”
He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the hardwood like nails on a chalkboard. “Until that happens, we have nothing to discuss.”
Without waiting for a response, Ryan strode away like he owned the world, leaving conversations to bloom in his wake.
“Arrogant son of a bitch!” David slammed his fist on the table, causing the silverware to jump and nearby diners to gawk. “Who the hell does he think he is?”
Sophie placed a strategic hand on his arm, though her own pulse was going haywire. “David, sweetheart, don’t let him push your buttons. That’s exactly what he wants.”
David turned to her, suspicion suddenly darkening his features. “There’s definitely something between you two, isn’t there? The way he looked at you… it wasn’t just dislike. It was personal as hell.”
For all his business blind spots, David could be surprisingly sharp about reading people. Sophie hadn’t anticipated this complication.
“You’re reading too much into this, David,” she said soothingly, her mind racing for damage control. “He’s just trying to mess with your head through me. I’m your wife—showing contempt for me is just another way to disrespect you.”
David seemed partially convinced, but doubt still lingered in his eyes.
Sophie smiled reassuringly, even as rage and humiliation burned through her like acid. Ryan Blackwood had dismissed her—again. But this time, she wouldn’t cry over him. This time, she would make him burn.