003. Claims

Jordan's POV

"Tell everyone I’m coming." I instructed my assistant, who had called to inform me about the Chinese investors waiting for me. As I stepped out of the mansion, I noticed Sierra at the car, adjusting her dress while struggling to open the front passenger door.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, seeing her wrestle with the handle. She had never been this serious as she is now.

She looked up, defiant. "I'm going with you to work."

I raised an eyebrow, exasperated, and shut my door, walking over to her. "This must be some kind of joke. Go inside." I ordered, my voice sharp. But she crossed her arms, lips pressed together in that stubborn look she’d mastered.

“You’re not leaving me alone in that empty house, Jordan. I refuse,”

Her insistence sparked something between annoyance and reluctant admiration. “The meeting I’m going to is not some corporate affair, Sierra. We’re headed underground,” I warned, my voice dropping low. But she didn’t flinch or back down. I had never seen someone as stubborn as her.

When I noticed she wasn’t listening and all my men around were beginning to move, I notice they could hear us argue so I said,

“Fine! You want to come with me, you listen to me,” When she finally settled into the seat and buckled her seatbelt, I turned to face her. “In my world, there are rules. First, stay beside me at all times. There’s no telling what anyone might do if you stray. And don’t talk to anyone, not even if they speak to you. Let me handle everything by myself.”

From the smirk on her face, I doubted she’d absorbed a word, and that alone made me grit my teeth.

Well, it’s good she gets this; she has to understand what she has gotten into by marrying me.

After hours on the road, we arrived at the tunnel’s entrance on the outskirts of Crystal Bay, hidden among looming trees and shadows. I parked in a discreet spot, gripping Sierra’s hand as I led her forward. The tunnel door swung open, revealing the dimly lit underground within. The expanse stretched ahead, more like a warehouse, with illegal transactions happening in every corner—drugs, arms, secrets traded in the darkness.

Sierra gasped quietly beside me, her fingers tightening around mine. I leaned in close. “Stay close,” I murmured as we moved through the crowd. Eyes followed us, lingering on her in ways that stirred my blood, and I felt her shift nervously under their gazes.

One of the men muttered, low enough for me to catch: “I’d smash her, no question.”

I froze, and Sierra’s grip instinctively tightened as the words ignited something deadly inside me. I turned, fixing a steely gaze on the group, scanning for the one who’d dared to say it.

“Who just spoke?” My voice echoed, and the men fell silent, shuffling uncomfortably, eyeing each other. “Maybe I should stop paying wages altogether and make sure each of your families suffer.” One of them gave up the culprit: he looked new and I could tell that he was with what he had just said. He stepped forward, pale with fear, his bravado slipping as he met my glare.

“You wanted to smash her?” I snarled, pulling a pen from my pocket. “Let’s see if you’re so keen now.”

Before he could react, I drove the pen into his eye. His scream cut through the silence, and the others looked on in horror. I turned, and Sierra looked just as stunned, her face ashen. But this was who I was—a man who dealt in violence as easily as breathing. She needed to understand that.

I looked back at the men, my voice hard. “The next person who disrespects her will lose more than an eye.” With that, I gripped Sierra’s hand and led her to the elevator, still aware of the fear in her eyes, the pounding of her heart. It was my reality, one she needed to accept.

When the elevator door opened, we stepped into the hall where my clients awaited.

“Stay here,” I told her. She nodded mutely, taking a seat, her gaze distant. I couldn’t tell if she hated me for what she’d seen, but it didn’t matter. I turned and entered the meeting room. Business comes first before any other things.

“Mr. Jordan Pierce,” one of the men greeted, extending his hand. I shook it firmly before we took our seats.

“Let’s get down to business,” I said briskly.

The man across from me, the leader of the group, leaned forward, a slight smirk on his face. “We’re willing to hand over our entire supply line from China, with added security protections.”

I frowned, suspicious. “Why offer everything without negotiation?”

His eyes flicked to the door, where Sierra was seated. “I’ve changed my priorities, Jordan. Now, I want something else in return.” His companions nodded in approval of his decision.

A dangerous calm settled over me. “And what exactly would that be?”

“One night,” he said with a casual shrug. “One night with that beautiful girl you brought along. Just for a taste. We’ll send her back unharmed.”

I fought to keep my anger in check, a deadly calm settling over me. “Leave,” I said evenly, pointing to the door.

He chuckled. “Don’t be such a prude, Jordan. It’s just one night. Why cling so tightly to one of your sluts?” His last word rang a bell in my head. A slut? My wife?

That snapped the last thread of patience I’d been holding onto. In a second, I was across the table, fists flying, punching the smirk off his face. His companions rushed to pull me off, but I shrugged them off easily, each blow hammering my fury home until I heard the sickening crack of his neck. He went limp, and I straightened, turning to the others, their faces twisted in horror.

“Consider this a warning,” I said coldly. “You’re both alive so you can learn from his mistake.”

Without another word, I left them there, brushing past their fear like a ghost as I made my way back to Sierra.