Chapter 4

I stood at the top of the grand staircase, a glass of vintage champagne in my hand, looking down at my empire.

The Lancaster estate was ablaze with light. Hundreds of the city's elite mingled in the ballroom below, raising their glasses, all here to celebrate me.

It had been exactly one month since the crash.

Tonight was the one-month milestone of my newborn son, but more importantly, it was the night I officially assumed executive control of the Lancaster Empire after Lily thought she could hid her wealth to me.

Diana leaned against my side, wearing a stunning designer gown and a diamond necklace that used to belong to Lily’s mother. She looked perfect.

"Our plan worked perfectly," I whispered smugly.

Diana giggled, taking a sip of her champagne. "Are you sure Lily won't cause trouble? What if she gets out?"

"Lily? I paid those doctors enough to keep her locked in that high-security, remote psychiatric ward forever. She’s officially declared 'insane from grief.' She can never contest my proxy over her family's wealth. She’s a ghost, Diana. She doesn't exist anymore."

Drunk on the champagne and the intoxicating rush of absolute power, I felt a familiar heat rise in my blood.

I didn't want to share Diana with these guests anymore.

I took her hand and pulled her away from the crowded ballroom.

We slipped upstairs, walking straight into the master suite—the massive, opulent room that used to belong to Lily's parents.

I kicked the heavy mahogany doors shut and locked them.

We fell onto the king-sized bed. I pulled Diana underneath me, kissing her deeply. My hands roamed her body, greedy and possessive.

"You're brilliant," I murmured against her neck, feeling the cold diamonds of the stolen necklace against my lips. "It's all ours now. The empire, the house, the future. No one can touch us."

Diana arched into my touch, her fingers digging into my back. "Make me the lady of the house, Yohan."

"You already are," I groaned.

Just as I reached for the zipper of her dress, a deafening crash shattered the quiet of the room.

The heavy mahogany doors were violently kicked open, the thick wood splintering and cracking off the hinges.

Diana screamed. We scrambled backward on the bed in absolute shock, pulling the silk sheets up to our chests.

I expected the police. But the men pouring into the room wore the sleek black uniforms of the Lancaster estate's elite private security and senior staff.

The very people I now commanded.

"What the hell is this?!" I roared, my face burning with fury. I jumped off the bed, pointing a finger at the captain. "Get out! I am your boss! I'll fire every single one of you!"

The security team remained terrifyingly silent. They completely ignored my threats.

Two massive guards stepped forward and grabbed me by the arms. Two others seized Diana.

"Take your hands off me!" Diana shrieked, kicking and thrashing wildly.

"Do you know who I am?!" I bellowed, trying to throw a punch at the nearest guard. "I am the CEO!"

The guard didn't even flinch. He easily dodged my fist and slammed his knee into my stomach. The air rushed out of my lungs, and I doubled over, gasping in pain.

"Strip them," the head of security ordered coldly. "Everything bought with Lancaster money stays here."

"No! Wait!" I choked out.

They showed zero mercy. They ripped my custom-tailored suit jacket right off my back. They grabbed the collar of my expensive silk shirt and tore it down the middle, leaving me in nothing but my boxers.

Beside me, Diana screamed hysterically as a guard grabbed the diamond necklace and yanked it straight off her neck.

The clasp snapped, leaving a red mark on her skin. They tore her designer gown right off her body, leaving her completely exposed and shivering in her undergarments.

"You can't do this!" I screamed, panic finally clawing at my throat. "I'll have you all arrested!"

They didn't answer. They just dragged us out.

Naked, terrified, and clutching whatever scraps of fabric we could hold onto, Diana and I were hauled out of the bedroom and forced toward the grand staircase.

"No, please, not down there!" Diana sobbed, trying to hide her face.

The guards shoved us forward. We stumbled down the sweeping marble steps.

The orchestra stopped abruptly. The chatter died instantly.

Hundreds of wealthy guests turned and stared in absolute shock. I felt the blood drain from my face. The new CEO and his mistress were being paraded through the ballroom in total humiliation.

Cell phones came out. Flashes went off.

"Help me!" I screamed at the crowd, my voice cracking.

"Call the police! I am the master of this house!"

No one moved. The elite guests just watched in disgusted, stunned silence.

The head of the Lancaster staff stepped up behind me and shoved me hard toward the exit.

"You own nothing," his voice was ice-cold, echoing through the silent room. "A new owner will come home soon."

Before I could process his words, the guards dragged us through the foyer and literally threw us out the front doors.

We crashed hard into the freezing, wet dirt of the driveway.

The heavy front doors slammed shut behind us, locking us out.

The cold night wind hit my bare skin like a whip. Diana sobbed hysterically in the mud beside me, her bare knees and elbows scraped and bleeding.

I scrambled on the ground, shivering violently, trying to cover myself with my bare hands, my pride completely shattered.

Suddenly, a pair of blinding headlights cut through the darkness of the estate gates.

I shielded my eyes from the headlights, trembling uncontrollably in the cold mud.

"Who is it?" I yelled. "Who's in there?!"

Slowly, the tinted back window began to roll down.