My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209 Dropping The Keys And Cards

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The threat hung in the sterile, conditioned air of the penthouse boardroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the gray city skyline. Arthur Steinmann sat in his leather chair. He looked at his son with frozen, calculating eyes.

You step onto the sidewalk with empty pockets, Arthur promised. The ruthless ultimatum echoed off the glass walls. You lose the safety net. You lose the privilege. You become nothing. Make your choice.

Ryder did not blink. He did not shift his weight. He stood at the edge of the polished mahogany table. The mud from his combat boots stained the pristine white carpet. He brought the reality of the East Side into the heart of the corporate empire.

He reached into the inner breast pocket of his scuffed leather jacket. He pulled out a sleek black wallet. He opened the fold. He slid a matte black credit card from the slot. The plastic hit the polished wood with a sharp crack.

He pulled out a second card. A silver platinum bank card. He tossed it next to the first. He emptied the wallet. He threw the empty leather

billfold onto the table.

“There is the trust fund, Ryder stated. His voice carried raw iron. “There is your leverage.”

Arthur stared at the plastic cards. The frozen mask slipped a fraction. A flicker of genuine shock pierced the billionaire’s composure. He expected defiance. He expected a loud argument. He did not expect total surrender.

Ryder reached into his front denim pocket. He pulled out a heavy ring of brass keys.

He detached a thick, electronic key fob. The master access pass to the massive Steinmann estate in the affluent hills. The key to the iron gates, the main house, and his sprawling bedroom. He dropped it on the table.

He detached a silver car key. The key to the battered blue Ford truck parked outside the glass doors of the lobby.

My chest tightened. A physical ache bloomed behind my ribs. The truck offered his only true sanctuary. He rebuilt that diesel engine with his own hands. He spent months under the hood, escaping the suffocating pressure of his father’s demands. He drove me home in that

truck. It belonged to him.

He dropped the silver key on the mahogany wood. The metal chimed against the quiet room.

“Keep it all, Ryder commanded. He braced his hands on the table and leaned toward his father. “Keep the money. Keep the real estate. Reinstating the diner lease requires one phone call. Make the call. If you touch her family again, I will go to the press. I will tell them the great Arthur Steinmann extorts minimum-wage diner workers to control his teenage son. I will destroy your public image.”

Arthur leaned forward. He looked at the keys and the cards. He looked up at his son.

‘You possess zero funds, Arthur warned. “You lack a high school diploma. You lack a place to sleep. You walk out that door, you cease to

be a Steinmann. The world will crush you.”

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13:58 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 209 Dropping The Keys And Cards

“I cease to be your property, Ryder corrected.

:

:))

He turned away from the massive table. He looked at me. The lethal tension in his posture melted. The golden fire in his hazel eyes

softened into pure, protective warmth. He held out his hand.

“Let us go, Raisa,” he said.

I reached out. I placed my fingers in his palm. His grip felt solid and grounding.

We walked toward the heavy oak doors. We did not look back. We crossed the threshold. The doors swung shut behind us, severing the

connection to the billionaire empire with a loud, final thud.

We walked down the carpeted corridor. We reached the silver elevator. Ryder pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner panel on

the wall.

A red light flashed. A harsh beep filled the silence.

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Arthur moved with terrifying speed. He erased Ryder’s access profile from the corporate security system in seconds. The billionaire locked

his son out of the tower.

Ryder stared at the red light. A small, bitter smile touched his mouth.

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