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ALEX POV:

“Where is she?”I grasped Madeline by the throat, resisting the urge to squeeze until I wiped the smug look off her face.

I’d never raised a hand to a woman outside the bedroom—and then only if they consented—but I was this close to losing my shit.

After I saw the video of Madeline pushing Ava into the pool, which I recognized from my previous visits to the Hauss mansion, I broke every speed limit to get here. By the time I arrived, the party had ended and only a few stragglers remained. I found Madeline laughing with her cronies in the kitchen, but it had only taken a glare from me for her to excuse herself and follow me into the hall.

“Why don’t you tighten your hold a little?” she purred. “You know you want to.”

“I’m not here to play games.” I was holding onto my patience by a thread. “Answer my question, or Hauss Industries is over.”

“You don’t have that kind of power.”

“Don’t underestimate me, sweetheart.” It wasn’t an endearment. “Ju