Chapter 965

Daniela leaned in close and murmured a few words to Carol.

Carol gave a crisp nod and slipped out of the office without another word.

Josh narrowed his eyes, wary of the sly, knowing curve tugging at Daniela's lips. "What's that supposed to mean? Where did you send your assistant?"

Lounging back on the sofa, Daniela let out a low,unhurried laugh-nothing extravagant, just enough to chill the air between them and make Josh's skin crawl.

He shivered involuntarily, his bravado faltering."What's with that look? Why the hell are you grinning at me like that?"

The other McCoy brothers watched her with open unease,convinced Daniela had finally snapped.

Hamilton's brows furrowed with concern. "Daniela, are you sure you're all right?"

Brad tried to smooth things over, his tone placating."Josh's words are just a bunch of bullshit. Daniela,don't let him get under your skin." Ethan, never one for confrontation, ventured a tentative suggestion. "Maybe we should call it a day before things go any further?"

A sly smile still curling on her lips, Daniela plucked up an apple and, with unsettling calm, began stripping its skin with Josh's dagger.

She lifted her gaze to pin Josh with a sharp,menacing glare. "I was going to let you off easy, Josh. But since you're so desperate for an ending, I'll give you one.We're done here. Get out."

Though every single person in the room agreed this nightmare of a meeting had to end, not a soul dared budge after Daniela's icy dismissal.

"Daniela, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" A ripple of unease swept through Josh; it felt like she was tightening a net around his throat-either she'd bury him today, or she'd go down with him.

Daniela didn't bother to respond. Her fingers moved with eerie calm, paring rough strips from the apple,the blade skipping jaggedly over its skin-clearly,she was more practiced at carving flesh than fruit.

At last, her patience snapped. With a flick of her wrist,she stabbed the apple straight through, the knife quivering upright from the table.

She plucked a damp tissue from the box, cleaning her hands with deliberate slowness. Lifting her gaze, she swept the room with a level, challenging stare."Well?Still standing around? Planning to make yourselves at home?"

Josh shook off the last traces of panic with a sharp,mocking laugh. The sound echoed off the office walls,brittle with forced bravado.

Despite himself, the phantom sting of Daniela's blade haunted him-like she'd skewered his chest instead of the apple.

Still, he clung to the idea she was bluffing. In the end,she'd let him walk out unharmed.

The whole thing struck him as almost pitiful.

Shaking out his jacket and forcing down his humiliation,Josh strode for the door.

The other McCoy brothers hesitated, trading wary looks, then wordlessly trailed after him.

As they spilled onto the pavement outside the company buildin, Ethan broke the silence, sounding lost."Wait,that's it? Seriously?What about my money?"

Brad planted his hands on his hips, jaw clenched in exasperation. "All that talk from Daniela about getting your money back-and what did she actually do? Just threw out a few empty threats." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Honestly,she's way too soft for this. If a man had been in charge,do you really think it would've ended like that?"

Ethan's lips curled in a sour smirk. "Yeah, right. Now what am I supposed to do about my thirty billion?That's it-just vanished?"

Hamilton's gaze turned cold, his jaw clenched tight.He hadn't expected Daniela to come up short, but there was no way he'd criticize her in front of outsiders. "That's enough. We're done here. Go home,all of you."

Once Hamilton stepped away, Ethan spun on Brad, his frustration spilling over. "What a disaster! Not only have I cut Josh off completely,but Daniela couldn't even recover a cent for me. I'm out thirty billion and stuck with nothing. Maybe you were right all along.I should've trusted Josh. Now, thanks to Daniela, I've lost everything and made an enemy out of him. What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

Brad could only shrug, offering a thin thread of hope."Maybe it's not over yet. Sometimes things turn around when you least expect it."

Ethan shook his head, bitterness etched into his features. "You always say that, Brad. Every time you get that stubborn look in your eyes and push ahead without a plan, it blows up in your face. You've never won that way."

The two brothers exchanged a long, silent look-defeat and regret reflecting in both their eyes, heavy as a stone.