Divorce With Benefits: A Second Chance At Love
Chapter 152: The Predator

Chapter 152: The Predator

The room was thick with tension, the air crackling as Jared’s unrelenting gaze bore into Philip. His posture, though relaxed, exuded an aura of controlled danger. Jared leaned back slightly, arms spread across the couch’s backrest, as though he owned the room—and everyone in it. The faint smirk on his lips didn’t just taunt; it promised devastation.

Philip shifted uneasily, the weight of Jared’s presence pressing down on him like a predator stalking its prey.

"You are forgetting that you are in an unfavorable position here, Jared," Philip said, his voice betraying a slight tremor. He cleared his throat, forcing an air of bravado.

Jared tilted his head and glanced at his watch, the movement deliberate. "Oh, really?" he asked, his tone unhurried. "You’re losing time here."

Philip’s jaw tightened, irritation bubbling beneath his forced composure. The mocking smirk on Jared’s face was a sharp blade, cutting through his confidence. "You think you’re getting rescued? You think your dear father-in-law cares enough to mobilize an army for you?" Philip’s words dripped with derision, but his bravado felt hollow.

Jared finally met Philip’s gaze again, his smile widening. "I think you already know the answer to that," he said smoothly. His calm demeanor was unnerving. Of course Arthur would move heaven and earth if it got to that point. Even if he didn’t, Jerica would find him.

He didn’t just believe it—he knew it.

Philip’s bravado faltered as Jared leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Your issue is with Arthur Sutherland, not me. Isn’t that right?" Jared’s voice dropped, each word a deliberate challenge.

Philip swallowed hard, his fingers twitching as he tried to regain control. That was the truth of it—his hatred for Arthur ran deep, but it wasn’t Jared he wanted to destroy. Yet, Jared’s calm defiance was rattling.

Forcing himself to focus, Philip leaned back, attempting to reclaim his composure. "Tell me what you need to switch sides. Name your price," he said, his tone edged with desperation masked as authority. "Your wife is family to us too. We aren’t going to harm her. Bring Arthur down, and there’s a place for you here."

Jared leaned back leisurely, his smirk deepening. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest, the sound a ticking clock counting down to Philip’s undoing. "Do you hear helicopters?" Jared asked, his tone casual as he glanced toward the window.

"What?" Philip’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Jared turned his gaze back to Philip, his voice now razor-sharp. "Why should I choose you?"

Philip bristled, clearly offended. "Why? I am the next patriarch of the Glover family! Do you even comprehend the global connections my family holds?"

Jared chuckled darkly, the sound low and menacing. "And yet you’re asking me to betray Arthur Sutherland. If the mighty Glover family can’t bring him down, doesn’t that make Arthur the most powerful?" His words sliced through Philip’s facade, a deliberate provocation aimed at the man’s deepest insecurities.

Philip’s face turned red with rage. "You bastard! That’s not what your father—who’s begging me to take your cousin into our family—says!"

The mention of his estranged father was so absurd that Jared burst into laughter, a rich sound that filled the room and sent a chill down Philip’s spine. "My father?" Jared sneered, standing to his full height. Philip was stupider than he thought to think dragging that deadbeat into this conversation. Did he really think that it would sway him? What a joke!

Jared strode to the window, his movements calm but deliberate. He waved at a drone hovering behind a tree, its camera fixed on the room. Philip’s men were so focused on Philip they didn’t notice the drone.

Philip’s face twisted in anger, his composure unraveling. He gestured toward his men, but Jared raised a hand, cutting him off.

"Do you know why I’m certain Arthur Sutherland will win?" Jared asked, his voice soft but lethal. Philip froze mid-action, his hand hovering over his phone. "Because he has my wife on his side," Jared said, his smirk returning.

Philip’s frustration boiled over, and he swung a punch at Jared. Jared sidestepped effortlessly, fixing his tie as he dodged another clumsy swing. "Give me my phone," Jared said, holding out his hand. His calm command only infuriated Philip further.

"You fool! I will end the Sutherland line! Mark my words!" Philip roared, his hands shaking with rage.

Jared’s smirk vanished, replaced by a deadly calm. "That would include my children, wouldn’t it?" His voice dropped to a dangerous low, the weight of his words suffocating. "I wasn’t keen on it before, but now I’ll ensure your family apologizes publicly for all its atrocities."

Philip’s face contorted with rage, his hand hovering over his phone, ready to summon reinforcements. But before he could utter a command, the room was punctured by the sharp, muffled sound of suppressed gunfire. It was methodical, almost clinical—each shot ringing out with deadly precision.

Philip’s guards crumpled to the floor one after another, their weapons clattering uselessly beside them. The echo of the final shot faded, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Philip’s breath quickened as he took in the scene. His once-loyal men lay sprawled across the floor, lifeless. The stark efficiency of the takedown left no doubt that whoever orchestrated it was far beyond his league.

Jared stood unmoved, his expression cold and calculating, as if he had anticipated this exact outcome. He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, the faintest of smirks curving his lips. His composure was unnerving, a sharp contrast to Philip’s growing panic.

The hum of a drone broke the silence, drawing Philip’s attention. It hovered just outside the shattered window, its camera lens fixed squarely on him. As it drifted closer, Philip dropped to his knees, his bravado evaporating under its unyielding gaze.

For a moment, the drone lingered, its mechanical arm still faintly smoking from the shots it had fired. Philip stared up at it, sweat beading on his brow. It felt as though the machine were weighing his very existence, deciding whether he was worth sparing.

Then, without warning, the drone tilted slightly, as if dismissing him, and ascended through the window into the night sky.

Jared stepped forward, his footsteps deliberate and measured, each one echoing ominously in the deathly quiet room. He retrieved his phone from a drawer, his movements calm and unhurried, as though the chaos that had just unfolded was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Philip dropped to his knees as the drone hovered closer, its smoking weapon aimed at him. For a moment, it lingered, as though deciding his fate. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it flew out of the window.

Jared retrieved his phone from a drawer, brushing off imaginary dust as he walked to the fire exit. There, Arthur Sutherland’s head of security waited.

"Does my wife know?" Jared asked, his voice casual as though the ordeal had been nothing more than an inconvenience.

"No, Sir. Mr. Sutherland asked us not to inform her," the security chief said, his voice filled with respect.

"Good," Jared nodded. "What about my earlier security detail?"

"They were knocked out but are safe and recovering at the hospital," the man assured him.

"Thank you for being on time," Jared said, his tone sincere.

"Thank you for tipping us of your location. Your friend was a great help," the security said.

Jared smiled with a nod.

The security chief swallowed hard, moved by Jared’s gratitude. This wasn’t just a man of power; this was someone worth protecting—a man who valued loyalty and life. With newfound resolve, the security chief vowed to protect Jared and his family at all costs.

Jared texted Nick.

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