Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Anna’s POV

I didn’t move, and my arms stayed crossed.

“Read the file, Anna.”

“I’m not going to…”

“Read the damn file.”

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My hands dropped, and I snatched it from his grip. The folder weighed more than it should have, and my fingers trembled as I flipped open the cover.

It was a background check. Laurent Beaumont. Full name. Date of birth. Paris address. New York address. Employment history stretching back years.

I turned the page.

Names of different young women stared back at me, all of them around my age. Each one had a photo attached and details printed beneath each image.

My throat closed, and I couldn’t swallow. I flipped to the next page. More names, faces, and stories that all sounded the same.

“Those are the girls Laurent has offered modeling careers to in the past five years.” Roman’s confident voice came behind me. “Every single one of them ended up in his bed, and every single one of them was left with nothing at the end.”

I stared at the pages, and the photos blurred. My hands shook hard enough that the paper rustled.

“This is his method, Anna. This is what he does. I’m trying to save you from becoming another name on that

list.”

“Save me.” I looked up and blinked hard. “You call this saving me? When did you even find this out?”

“Around the same time I got the pictures.”

“None of this matters now.” I slammed the file shut. “What matters is that you staged a robbery. Do you realize that’s a criminal offense? You sent someone to rob the photographer.”

“How can you be so sure?”

A smirk played at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with confidence. This wasn’t the Roman I thought I knew. He seemed more hardened, more calculating, and I realized I might have been wrong about everything.

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

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Chapter 204

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“You have no proof I did anything.”

“How can you stand there and deny this with a straight face when I just saw the pictures right there…” I pointed at the desktop.

“That’s not proof.” He leaned back against the desk and sat at the edge, crossed his arms and one ankle over the other. “Those pictures could have come from anywhere.”

My mouth opened, then closed. “What if I tell Laurent?”

“You won’t.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because I know you, Anna.”

“What if I do anyway?”

“Then it’s your word against mine.” His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “His lawyers versus mine. You need actual evidence that connects me to the crime scene, and you don’t have any.”

My breath came faster, and fury burned through my chest. “This is sick. Do you hear yourself?”

“This is protecting what’s mine.”

“I’m not yours.” The words burst out.

His lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes went cold.

“I’m not.” My voice got stronger. “And at this point, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” He pushed off the desk and took a step toward me. “And I can prove it in a matter

of seconds.”

Heat flooded my face, and anger mixed with desire inside me as I fought not to give in. His arrogance and the certainty that he controlled my body made me want to scream.

“Whatever I felt for you before is done.”

“Nice try convincing yourself.” He took another step, and the distance between us shrank. “You’re so desperate to make me the villain that you can’t see that Laurent is using you, and you’re believing him over me.”

I threw my hands in the air and stepped back. “You hid all of this from me. At least Laurent was honest. He told me exactly why he wasn’t there. And after seeing those pictures, after knowing what you did, it all makes

sense.”

“Even if he didn’t plan what happened with Pierre, that doesn’t change what kind of man he is or what he does to girls. Did you know that he was going to use a picture you told him not to as the billboard cover for the Beaumont Lingerie collection?”

My breath caught. “What?”

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“It’s in the email he sent to the photographer. He chose exactly the one where your breasts were exposed, the one you specifically said you didn’t want used.”

He paused, and his eyes burned into mine. “He called it raw and authentic, said it would sell the campaign better than any of the safe shots. It’s the way he spoke about your body that infuriated me, and hence I don’t regret my actions. Laurent Beaumont is a pervert that needs to be stopped.”

My head shook, and disbelief washed over me. “You’re making this up.”

“I have no reason to lie.”

“Show me.”

“I would’ve, but you threatened to report me to Laurent, and I’m not stupid enough to give you anything to use against me.”

“I thought you said I wouldn’t do it.”

“It just occurred to me that maybe I’m wrong about who I thought you were, how unpredictable you are, how easily you believe what you want to believe.”

He frowned now. “I caught you hugging him. The one thing you promised me you wouldn’t do. You said you’d stay away from him, and the first thing I see when I walk into your office is you in his arms. How do you think that made me feel?”

“It was one moment. He felt guilty about what happened. He asked for a hug, just one. I thought it was only fair because he felt so…”

“He’s manipulating you. Can’t you see that?”

“No.” I stepped back and put space between us. “You’re the one who’s trying to manipulate me. This is my life, Roman. Normal people don’t track phones or follow people around the city and run background checks on everyone they know. This isn’t normal.”

“I never claimed to do things the normal way.” He didn’t move toward me. “You’ve always known this about me. I’ve never hidden who I am or what I’m capable of.”

“You say you care about me, but you’re treating me like a possession. It makes me think this is all about your need for control.”

“Anna…”

“I can’t do this.” The words tumbled out, and my voice cracked. “I quit.”

Roman’s eyes widened, and his body went still.

“What?”

“You heard me.” I lifted my chin and forced myself to stand straighter. “I quit being your assistant. And whatever this thing is between us. I’m done. We’re done.”

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Chapter 204

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

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“You’ve been down this road before.” His voice went hard, that dangerous edge creeping in. “Always threatening to quit. Always acting like you have a choice when you know damn well what you signed.”

I huffed and crossed my arms. “I’ll breach the contract then. I don’t care.”

“You should care.” He took a step closer. “Let me remind you what’s in that contract, since you clearly forgot. Section seven. Terms of compliance.”

My blood went cold.

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