Collateral Damage: His Ruthless Claim
8.3
(10.4k ratings)
Completed
16
chapters
28.3k
reads
0
words
Add to Library
About this story
Clara Hayes thought the worst day of her life was burying her brother—until his creditors showed up. Forced to answer for his stolen millions, Clara is dragged into the terrifying world of shadow banking and lethal corporate syndicates. With only days to pay or forfeit her life, she is cornered into signing a lifetime servitude contract. But the mysterious billionaire who purchases her debt isn't a stranger. Julian Cross is the boy she loved ten years ago, now transformed into a ruthless monster who has spent a decade building an empire just to trap her in it. He doesn't just want his money back; he wants her soul.
Chapter 1
Tears were a luxury Clara Hayes could not afford. She stood in the center of her late brother’s cramped apartment, staring at a half-filled cardboard box of his belongings. The scent of Leo’s cheap aftershave and stale coffee still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder that only three days ago, he had been alive. Now, he was ashes in a cheap urn, the victim of a sudden, violent car crash that the police had casually dismissed as a hit-and-run. Clara grabbed a stack of faded band t-shirts and shoved them into the box. Her hands moved with a mechanical, frantic energy. *Pragmatism over grief,* she told herself, sealing the box with a loud rip of packing tape. She had to clear out the apartment by the end of the week. She had to finalize the funeral costs. Above all, she had to figure out how to protect Lily, Leo’s six-year-old daughter, who was currently sleeping on Clara’s couch across town. Everyone she loved either died or disappeared. It was a fundamental truth Clara had accepted long ago. Before she could reach for the next stack of books, a deafening crash echoed through the small apartment. The front door splintered inward, the deadbolt snapping like a dry twig. Clara spun around, her heart slamming against her ribs. Her instincts as a forensic auditor screamed at her to assess the threat: three men. Two were built like freight trains, wearing cheap leather jackets that barely concealed the bulges of firearms at their hips. But it was the man in the center who made the blood freeze in her veins. He wore a tailored charcoal suit that cost more than this entire apartment building. He stepped over the splintered wood of the doorway with a look of utter disdain, brushing a speck of dust from his lapel. His eyes were cold, sharp, and entirely devoid of empathy. "Who the hell are you?" Clara demanded, forcing her voice to remain steady. She didn't step back. She planted her feet. "Get out of here before I call the police."The man in the suit smiled. It was a thin, cruel expression. "Call them. Let's see who arrives first, Clara. The city's finest, or the people your brother stole from.""My brother was a junior accountant," Clara snapped, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "He didn't steal anything. Now get out.""A junior accountant with a very sophisticated taste for shadow banking," the man corrected, stepping further into the living room. He gestured to one of his goons, who immediately began kicking over boxes, spilling Leo’s belongings across the scuffed hardwood floor. "Stop it!" Clara yelled, lunging forward. The second goon caught her by the shoulder, shoving her hard against the wall. The breath left her lungs in a sharp gasp, but she glared daggers at the suited man. "My name is Marcus Sterling," the man said, pacing slowly around the small room. He picked up a framed photograph of Leo and Clara, sneering at it before tossing it onto the floor. The glass shattered. "And I represent a syndicate that operates far above the jurisdiction of whatever local cops you think can save you. Your brother, the brilliant accountant, found a backdoor into our routing software. He siphoned funds into dummy accounts for six months."
Continue Reading
Chapter List
Book Details
Status
Completed
Word count
0
Last updated
5 days ago
Language
English
More like this
See All
New Releases
See All
After My Husband Gave Our House To His Mistress
I secretly enrolled in a classified national program without informing my husband, Elijah, who happens to be our team's leader. Initially, he didn't think much of it. He merely assumed I had become more compliant. Even when he decided to give a promotion opportunity from the organization to his first love, I remained unfazed. Then he proposed transferring the property meant for me to Paisley, his first love, and asked me to help raise her child. I agreed with a smile, my eyes briefly flickering to the notification of my successful application in my hand. Elijah frowned slightly and warned, "Don't try any tricks. If you change your mind, I'll divorce you immediately!" Feigning concern, I asked, "But if the house goes to her, where will I live?" "The organization has assigned me another place, hasn’t it? Paisley and her kid have a tough life; show some compassion!" Hearing his cold words, I couldn't help but feel a secret satisfaction. With his generous nature, he might be open to donating all his assets to the Heartland Welfare Foundation, right?
Foreclosing On My Cheating Husband
Sloane played the penny-pinching wife for four years to fund Declan’s architectural firm. But when she discovers he’s using their life savings to house his mistress—and gifting her Sloane's late mother’s heirloom—she doesn't cry. Even as she lies bleeding after a hit-and-run, her emergency calls declined by her husband, Sloane plots. He forgot one detail: she’s the sole heiress to the Kensington Trust. Now, she's pulling the ground lease on his empire.
My Alpha Sacrificed Me to Save Her Sister
For twelve years, my wolf spirit has been fading. The healers called it a curse. My Alpha husband Gideon called it an excuse. But the truth was worse: my sister Cassie had been siphoning my wolf spirit since childhood, stealing my strength for every medal, promotion, and proud look she received. When my wolf finally dies, Gideon is still choosing her. So I hide the last pieces of my soul in seven places he visits every day—his coffee cup, training ground, and bed. If he wants the truth, he’ll have to find me piece by piece.
My Husband's Secret Love
Sophia thought her loveless marriage to billionaire Lucas King was nothing more than a façade—a contract hidden beneath cold silence and public humiliation. But when she dares to walk away, Lucas shatters the mask he has worn for two years, revealing a dangerous possessiveness that refuses to let her go. Caught between a husband who claims her in fury and a rival who thrives on her destruction, Sophia must untangle lies, secrets, and the explosive passion simmering beneath Lucas’s icy control. One truth is certain: leaving him may be more perilous than staying.
38.1k
Shared by the Obsidian Lords
I thought Julian was my savior. After a terrifying encounter at an underground gala left me branded by a ruthless crime lord, Julian whisked me away to safety. But as we lay tangled in his penthouse sheets, the doors blew open. The crime lord walked in—and my 'savior' immediately dropped to his knees. I'm not a rescue mission. I'm a gift. Now, I'm trapped between a brutal master and his devoted pet, forced into a dark, twisted game where every limit I have will be violently shattered.
27.8k
The Gilded Cage of Lies
Clara thought Marcus was her savior, lifting her from poverty. But when his heiress fiancée reveals Marcus has been stealing Clara’s jewelry designs to build her brand, the illusion shatters. Trapped by a predatory contract and her father's massive gambling debt, Clara has one way out: a dangerous deal with Marcus’s ruthless billionaire rival, Julian Thorne. Will she become his pawn, or the queen who finally takes the board?
45.4k