Thank you for still sticking by my book. It means a lot. Thank you for the all the good wishes encouraging me to write the book.
It's been long so if you can't remember some names or the contribution to this chapter, you can read the previous chapter.
Also please kindly read my new book 'UnMasked" I would be updating side by side with this book.
We have more to go before we say goodbye to Dominic and Arabella's story so stay tune.
Thank you once again.

Dominic's {POV}

"Don't touch it, " She cautions from behind as I bend down to inspect the severed bloody fingers.

"I won't, " I replied. My eyes were still fixed on it as I pulled out my phone from my blazer pocket.

"Arthur, come to the office now." I cut the call and retrieve the velvet black box with my handkerchief so as not to tamper with the evidence. Apart from the blotches of bloodstain, there was nothing in there. No note. Much to my disappointment.

"Ell?" The door flew open with a loud thud. Jemi came barging in followed by Alex and Arthur.

"Is everything all_" Jemi stops mid-sentence and gasps as she sees the fingers on the floor.

"What the hell!" She exclaims exasperated and questioning eyes meet our gaze wanting an explanation.

"Sir what can I do for you." Arthur's voice cuts through the tense silence but quickly jumps into action as soon as his eyes lie on the object of terror among us.

Not waiting for my reply he bends down and picks the fingers with his handkerchief.

"It might be fake." Arthur examines the fingers with keen sharp eyes, "Could be prosthetics." He asserts further.

"Send it to the lab and have Dr. Wong cross-examine it. Let's hope for our sake it's not fake, if it is it will be difficult for us to trace its origin."  Arthur gives a brief nod and heads out without wasting time.

" Who delivered the package, Alex," Arabella enquired Alex, making all of us shift our attention towards him.

"It came in the mail along with the others but there was no return address." Alex provided brows kneaded in worry.

" I think I know who send them," Jemi interjects from behind.

"Nicholas!" Arabella noted towards Jemi.

"No," Jemi shakes her head in surety.

"Two days back I received a red rose on my way towards our apartment from my usual morning jog. The guy said it was a gift from the Bianchi clan, the ones that broke away a year ago from the Romano clan."

"Red Rose. That's their signature, they use that whenever they want to warn off people. But what did we do to piss them off." Arabella frowned throwing her brows together.

" The guy who handed the rose to me said only these words. Drop the case!" Jemi replies.

"Leonard that pig. It's him. I'm sure it's him." Replied Arabella fuming.

"Arabella," I called out trying to get her attention. Wanting an explanation.

She sighs," We are defending a client against a criminal who has even hired a bigger criminal in the form of Jared Johnson to intimate us and our client to drop the case. It's a case of years of sexual assault, mental and emotional torment."

"I admit I'm shaken but we are not giving in to their demands. Never!" Her voice held strength and conviction which I can't help but be concerned- concerned for her safety, but admire her at the same time.

"I echo the same, Ell." Jemi places a supporting hand on her shoulder.

"Jared Jhonson!" I repeated the name as she mentioned it. The name sounds very familiar to me. Without giving it a second thought I quickly typed in a message to my PA. Janis to make a profile of him.

"He is the lawyer defending Leonard the CEO of the LD Cold Storage here in Brooklyn," Jemi fills me in.

"And since he knows we are not backing out without a fight, he is muscling in by using the local goons to scare us," Arabella interjects sitting down at the edge of the table.

"Pfft hardly scared us. I'm more determined to see him rot in a cell for the rest of his pathetic life." Jemi asserted vehemently. And exchanged a look with Arabella which I cannot help but notice that of longing.

"Jemi I have so much to tell you. Will you be home?" Arabella gave a hesitant half-smile.

"I'll be home Ell," Jemi smiled and suddenly pulled Arabella into a tight hug," Gosh! I missed you. And I'm sorry for being a terrible friend for not supporting you these couple of days."

"It's okay Jemi. I understand," Arabella padded her back and gave an amused smile at me. Seeing my confused face. I'm lost here.

Releasing her Jemi shifts her attention towards me.

"So are you guys back together or what is going on here? Please fill me in." She shifts her gaze to Arabella now.

"Of course, we are together. Do you think I would let her go that easily?" I smiled wrapping my arms around Arabella and pressing my lips on her temple.

Jemi had a warm smile on her face at the news.

I glanced at my watch and I was already running late for the meeting I had been scheming with Sebastian. The meeting of the epic takedown of that fucker ex of hers, Richard Spencer.

"I have to push off now. But before I leave I would like to suggest some things to you two. Your office is ready on my property, you can shift as soon as you can. I'll make sure there is security 24/7 followed by your apartment too. And don't worry I will make it a point to personally contact the FBI about this matter. So your security is not compromised at any cost."

"Thank you, " words of gratitude come from both.

Arabella smiles as she reaches to grab my hand and entwines her fingers with mine.

"I'll leave you two alone. And Dominic thank you so much once again. You are good for her." Jemi gives me a wide smile and marches out of the office with Alex trailing behind her, who had been unnaturally silent the whole time. May be too shaken by the horrid episode earlier.

Turning towards Arabella I lift her chin wanting her attention solely on me.

" I've hired a personal bodyguard for you. She is an ex-Navy seal, perfect for the job she is assigned for. I have done a complete background check on her, she is clean."

She eyes me thoughtfully, making me dread that she might say no but surprises me when she says," Thank you for always taking care of me but I don't want her breathing down my neck 24/7. Okay?" she stresses on the okay and kisses on my cheek sensing my protest.

"  Will see," I murmured as I captured her lips for a deep kiss. She pulls away making me groan in frustration.

"I mean it Dominic," she asserts again grabbing my face between her soft palms. I nodded and sealed it with a kiss on her lips complying with her wishes.

Once assured she was fine from the horror she was subjected to earlier, I headed towards Reeds enterprise with a sole mission for distruction. A mission which took me exactly one week to execute a perfect take down and also securing an air tight restraining order against Nicholas and Richard. They won't dare come even an inch towards Arabella and I hope it remains that way until I take them down one after another for good. 

"You can't do this," Henry Spencer nearly choked voicing his displeasure, as he stood pressing his palms on the table for support.

"I can and its already done. I have bought out Reeds enterprise, the major shareholder of your company. And in doing so I own you and I have no intention of funding a company that has no vision, no recent breakthrough products, dipping sales, plummeting stocks." With Reeds enterprise by their side they were good, good even for me to go into business with them. But with the former company out of the way, they are no good and I have no intention of saving it.

They've hurt Arabella and I'll make sure they regret the day they decided to mess with her. I don't care if Richard's parents are innocent in this. collateral damages has to be paid when you play dirty.

" Lackluster I must say," Sebastian chimes in as he sits on the edge of the  table.

I smirked walking over Henry's side and pulled the executive chair  towards me from behind him and sat on it.

"Wha- what can we do to make it work," his hand flying as he speaks. " Where is Richi," He mumbles as he mindlessly picks up the phone and nearly breaks it as he punches the button which I assume is connected to his secretary.

"Where is Richard. Find him and send him to my office right now," he bellowed and hung up with full force.

" We've got all day no need to rush," I chuckled. I couldn't wait to bring that fucker to his knees. While he was safely snugged in his bed, I had already made the deal with Thomas Reeds, to buy him out. It wasn't easy at first.

But as luck would have it his full corporation came once Sebastain briefed him about how his future son in law was using his daughter to further his ambition. And of course the generous offer I made cemented the full take over. A checkmate.

The door to the office opens with a click.

"Did you call for me dad," Richard walks in but halts his steps as he sees us.

"What the fuck are you guys doing in my building." He speaks through his clinch teeth eyes glaring at Sebastian and I. He closes the door with a lot thud.

"My building," I echo back leaning back and resting my head on the executive chair comfortably elbows on the arm of the chair making a steeple gesture with my fingers.

His irritated gaze lands on his father.

"Son you need to sit down for this," his father's wary speech directs at his son.

"The hell I will. If they are threatening you or bullying you for anything dad, I'll handle it." He asserts pompusly resting his hands on his hips.

"You'll handle it? Do have the guts to handle anything by yourself?" Sebastian chuckled and continued to taunt him by saying," Aren't you Nicholas Ramirez's lil whiney bitch?"

"Shut up! Shut up!" he roared and walked towards Sebastian with the idea of assaulting him.

Sebastian and I got up from our respective seats at the same time.

"I won't do that if I were you," I walked around the table and stood beside Sebastian.

Hands balled into a fist on both sides nostrils flaring he glared at us.

"Son it's over. King Enterprise has taken over Reeds. We are doomed." His father nearly heaved speaking those words.

"NO!" he asserts.

"YES," I smirked," Say hello to your new boss Dominic King and since I'm in no mood to bank roll this dead trap of a company with it's inefficient employees. I'm firing both of you. Get off my building." I smiled in triumph folding my hands against my chest.

"You can't do that, it's not possible," I finally saw his pompous attitude  unravel.

"I told you I'll ruin you if you hurt Arabella in any way," I reminded him of the promise I made, the promise he so carelessly omitted out of his minicapsule brain.

"Son don't tell me you brought us to ruination because of her." His father walk towards him grabbing his arms. Shaking him furiously when his queries was made with silence.

"Tell me son. Tell me it's not true." His voice sound defeated at the last words.

"I did it for us dad. I did it for us." Screamed Richard pushing away his father's hands.

"I did it for us." He repeated slabbing his palm on his chest.

Pointing a finger towards his father, his gaze hard," I was never good enough for you, you never had confidence in me. And even if I had your support on a good day it was always tangled with the threat of Caleb taking over my position if I slip up."

"My rightful position. The position as the CEO, the position I worked so hard for." He bellowed.

"Not the son you had from your whore." spits flying out of his mouth as he nearly chokes in fury.

There was a moment of death silence before Henry speaks up.

"I'm sorry you felt that way son. I only wanted to push you to be the best that you can be. Caleb was not made for this kind of business, he is happy in his restaurent. You were always going to be my successor." He eyes gleamed with tears as he heaves a deep sigh.

"But there is nothing left now. You ruined it all." He tells him and faces me.

" I'm done here, you can do as you please Mr. King." Without waiting to hear from any of us he picks up the photo frame from the table that contained his family's picture and walks out of the office.

"You can leave as well." I said dismissively and walked around the table and sat on the executive chair which he so much coveted.

"This is not over," He spits out.

" It is so over in all its finality Richard. If you still want to keep the family house you live in with it's assets. You might as well shut your mouth, accept defeat and get the fuck out of here." Sebastian tackles him, his tone irritated and bored at the same time.

Richard murmured some incoherent curses and walks towards the door. But before he steps out I stopped him in his tracks to humiliate him one last time.

"And oh! Leave your car keys at the reception will you? It belongs to the company, the company I own. So the car belongs to me not you."

I can see the frustration and helplessness he feels by the way his ears turns red. Nothing could be more satisfying than this.

He furiously jams his hand inside his blazer pocket and digs his car keys and flanks them on the floor and strikes out of the room and closes the door to the office with a loud bang.

Oh! he shouldn't have done that. His penthouse will be taken away too for this bad behaviour of his. I chuckled at the frustration it would cause him. At least he'll have his family home to go stay, bless his father for not putting that up as the company's collateral assets.

"That went well," Sebastian chuckled as he picked up the car keys from the floor and tossed it on the table.

"What now Nic," He turns serious as he took a sit.

"As greed upon you can make our lawyers throw out the contracts to make us equal partners of this company and set up meeting with the board members to decide on the future of this company." I ran throw the technicalities of what to do, my mind still heavy on the burden I need handling.

"Done. But what's weighting you down Nic, we have burn out the fucker for good." Sebastian cheers me on, his voice lighter, casual unlike my mind which is in turmoil.

I heaved a deep sigh and got up from the chair and walked towards the end of the glass wall of the office overlooking the concrete scenery. The view from here is too obstructing, the height of the building too low to enjoy the clear view of the sky.

Unbreathable, suffocating.

Sebastian walks towards me and stood beside me.

"What's bothering you Nic," Sebestain asks me again but his voice held concern.

"Nicholas," I spit out his name with gritted teeth.

"Restraining order has been put up right. I don't think he would be able to freely harass Bella like he did earlier."

I run a hand through my hair.

I chuckled," This is Nicholas we are talking about, that psychopath, do you think a restraining order would keep him away from her? I have convinced Arabella that she is safe from him. But Sebastian do you actually think she is safe from him?"

I voice out my fear, my anxiety, the truth.

"No Nic, I don't think it that she is safe. But worrying won't keep her safe. All we can do is be more alert than before." He assures me but it falls on deaf ear.

I can't rest in the fact that we are being more alert than before and sleep in peace as well knowing I have secured Arabella with a body guard or the fact that she has shifted her office to my property where she is guarded 24/7 or her home.

I know Nicholas and I know he would be scheming to break my protective barrier around Arabella, just to harm me. He will not rest until he brings me to my knees, just like I won't rest until I do the same to him.

One has to fall to his knees. But only time will tell whether it will be him or me.

My only wish is that in this game of hatred I don't end up hurting Arabella. I would never forgive myself if Arabella gets hurt in any way. Never!

"Hope you enjoyed this Chapter"

Alay98 this chapter is dedicated to you. Thank you so much for your support, you are such a sweetheart.