Chapter 5
Finn shed, his razor sharp stare slicing through Malcolm. “Not man enough to lose gracefully? I’d be happy to take your right hand as payment. Won’t even break a sweat chopping it off”
Those bottomless eyes–cold as a winter night–had Malcolm shaking in his boots, looking like he’d just seen his own tombstone
Everyone else in the room shuffled back, too spooked to even blink.
the Finn a
This wasn’t just some random dude. This was the Finn Barnett, the guy running the whole Barnett show
He was youngest son of Colin Barnett, bom to a fling and raised far from the family’s fancy estate. Third in line among the Barnett kids.
He’d been out in the world, a nobody, until eighteen when Colin hauled him back.
A total brainiac, he’d crushed every rival and roadblock when the family’s fortune was circling the drain, stepping up as the Barnett big shot,
And after that? He’d gone and built a freaking empire across the ocean.
“U–Uncle Finn?” Malcolm whimpered, his face pale as a ghost. He flashed a shaky grin that screamed panic. “I was just messing with Arya, I sweart I‘ I send her the cash, like, right now.”
All that cocky, rich–boy attitude he usually strutted around with? Vanished. Fool
The livestream crowd? They were losing their minds.
After a solid minute of stunned silence, the chat blew up, comments zooming across the screen like wildfire.
OH MY GOD, he’s freaking GORGEOUS! I’m in love!]
[This total hottie is Malcolm’s uncle?! No way!]
[Yo, anyone else think Arya and this guy are totally meant to be?]
That last comment kicked things into high gear, and soon the whole chat was screaming about how Arya and Finn were couple goals.
Arya, though? She was glued to the spot, heart pounding.
Those tailored black suit pants hugged his long legs like they were custom–made. His face–all sharp jawline and smoldering intensity–was the kind that could stop traffic. From her angle, the guy was straight up unreal.
Looks, build, the whole vibo–he was the kind of man who could make anyone’s knees buckle.
But that body, that face, that deep, sexy–as–hell voice… why’s it screaming “mystery guy I hooked up with in the woods last night?” Arya thought, her pulse kicking into overdrive.
Right then, Finn’s gaze swung her way.
Their gazes crashed, and Arya’s breath hitched like she’d been sucker punched.
Her mind dragged her back to last night–her and that mystery guy, tangled up on the grass, her on top, him letting her take the lead…
She showed the thought away. “No way. That’s too crazy to be real. Just some random dude who looks like him, that’s all.
Her phone pinged in her pocket. She glanced at the screen–her bank account had just been credited 30 million bucks.
At that moment, Malcolm, clutching his busted–up arm, staggered to his feet. “Uncle Finn, uh, we good? Can I get outta here?” he mumbled, voice wobbling like he was about to cry.
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14:35. Wed, 11Jon G. Wh
Chapter 5
Finn’s dark, unreadable eyes zeroed in on him, his voice smooth but dangerous, like he was chatting about the weather. “Your little bet with her Just about the money, was it?”
That calm tone? It had Malcolm shaking in his boots, looking like he might pass
out right there.
He’d already forked over 30 million, and now his
w his uncle Finn was demanding he apologize to Arya.
If beg, I’m done–how do I even show my face after that? Malcolm’s und raced,
1, panic creeping i
“U–Uncle Finn,” Malcolm stammered, forcing a shaky grin, “come on, man, it was just a stupid joke with Arya.”
Finn’s voice sliced through, low and cold as ice. “You wanna keep that arm, or you wanna own up like a man?”
The crowd around them went quiet, jaws dropping
