The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 22

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Olivia had planned to put Natalie in her place by acting like she was really close with Ryan. Olivia hadn’t expected Ryan to completely shut her down, even calling out her little scheme right in front of everyone and humiliating her in public.

The murmurs around them noticeably died down, and more than a few people turned to watch the drama unfold.

Olivia had never been humiliated and scolded so ruthlessly like this, especially not in front of Ryan, the man she’d always had her eye on.

Samuel noticed the tension and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Mr. Mitchell, Olivia was joking. Don’t be

mad.”

Olivia gave a stiff smile. “Mr. Mitchell, I’m Olivia Shaw. We met at a party before.”

“Yeah, Mr. Mitchell. Let’s go hang out,” Samuel said.

Ryan ignored Olivia. Just then, another guy walked over.

“Hey, Mr. Mitchell. Since you’re here, why not go for a round?” Max scratched the back of his head, putting on a deliberately familiar smile, but a calculating gleam flickered in his eyes.

Max was flanked by a few equally flashy guys, loosely boxing Ryan and Natalie in.

“Mr. Mitchell, I heard the boys talking this afternoon. You were tearing up Harbor City in the Phantom. We’ve all been dying to get a look,” Max said.

He stepped closer, his greedy eyes glued to the silver sports car. He reached out to pat the hood. “This thing? Fucking insane. There are only ten in the world, right? And there’s only one in Harbor City. Mr. Mitchell, you’re so swag.”

Ryan’s expression darkened. He raised his hand and blocked Max’s arm, his voice cold. “Watch your hands. If you break it, you won’t be able to pay for it.”

Max’s hand got pushed away, but he didn’t get mad. He let out a chuckle and rubbed his palms together. “That’s right. No way I could afford that. But Mr. Mitchell, just looking’s no fun, right?

“The guys are in a good mood tonight. How about we follow the Blackridge Mountain tradition and take it for a spin?”

Max shot a look at his buddies behind him. “Mr. Mitchell, I hear you’ve got skills. Let us see what you can do. Let everyone see if this Phantom lives up to the hype or if it’s all show and no go.”

The provocation in his words was obvious, and the crowd gathered around started egging Ryan on.

“Yeah, Mr. Mitchell, take it for a lap.”

“Let us hear that Phantom engine roar.”

19:52 Tue, Apr 28

Chapter 22

“Make it a bet. If you win, Max’s brand–new Venom is yours.”

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Max went along with it, his tone coaxing and taunting all at once. “What do you say, Mr. Mitchell? Nothing too crazy. Only some stakes. If I lose, my Venom is yours. I just bought it. Barely even broken in. But if you lose…”

He dragged out the words, his eyes sliding back to the Phantom, his grin turning sly. “I’m not greedy. Let me borrow the Phantom for a month and have a little fun. Sound fair?”

As soon as those words came out, the surroundings went quiet for a beat, then erupted into even louder noise.

“No way. Borrow it for a month? Max’s clearly up to no good.”

“Exactly. Lending it to Max for a month? Might as well give the car to him. With the way he burns through things, what will be left of that car after a month?”

“Mr. Mitchell, don’t do it. It’s clearly a trap.”

Anyone with eyes could see Max had set a trap and was waiting for Ryan to walk into it.

That was why Max and his crew felt so free to goad Ryan. They were banking on the fact that the Mitchell family wouldn’t step in over a car or a street race.

19:52 Tue, Apr 28

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