Page 117 of King of Pride

He had spent so long convincing himself that she would come back. That she was only angry. That whatever she was doing with another man was simply an attempt to make him jealous.

But she had married someone else.

She had chosen another man.

And she had looked at Ivan as though he no longer mattered.

His heart pounded painfully against his ribs.

Then his gaze shifted.

Rose had stepped outside and was standing beside Maverick. Without hesitation, she slipped her hand into Maverick’s.

Ivan’s eyes immediately dropped to her wrists.

Bruises.

His expression changed.

For a brief second, his anger faltered as he stared at the dark marks circling her wrists. Then his jaw clenched.

‘That bastard abused her?’

The thought sent another surge of fury through him.

He took a step forward, but Rose immediately moved closer to Maverick, instinctively placing herself at his side.

“Let’s go inside,” she said quietly, giving Maverick’s arm a gentle tug. “There’s no reason to argue with him.”

Maverick kept his eyes fixed on Ivan for another long second. His jaw tightened, but he eventually allowed Rose to lead him back toward the house.

Ivan remained at the bottom of the steps, breathing heavily as he watched her disappear inside.

“You want to stay married to your domestic abuser husband?” he muttered under his breath, his voice low and bitter. “I’ll see how long it takes before you come running back to me after he does the same thing to you that he did to his family. That demon is going to torture you until you break. And then, you’ll come begging me to take you back.”

***

Oracle Fragrances had changed considerably over the past few days since Maverick had taken control of the company. The interiors had been upgraded, the operations had been reorganized, and everyone had been busy adjusting to the new changes.

Rose, however, was surprised by how smoothly everything had gone.

She had been handling the new project, and having Maverick there to help had made things far easier than she had expected. He had taken care of so many details behind the scenes that she sometimes wondered how she would have managed without him.

That afternoon, she quietly knocked on the door of his office before pushing it open without waiting for an answer. A coffee cup was clasped in her hand as she stepped inside.

Maverick was seated behind his desk, his laptop open in front of him. A frown creased his forehead as he studied a stack of files and fragrance designs, his attention completely absorbed in his work.

The moment he looked up and saw her, however, the frown disappeared.

His expression softened almost instantly.

Rose walked toward his desk and placed the coffee cup in front of him. Then she clasped her hands behind her back and stood there like a student waiting to ask her teacher for permission.

She was wearing a short skirt with a blouse and a fitted jacket, a simple office look that somehow made her look even cuter.

“Mr. Bishop,” she said sweetly, tilting her head slightly. “Can I go home early today?”

Maverick rose from his chair, his expression shifting from pleasant to suspicious.