<h4>Chapter 435: Punishment!</h4>


    Joseph’s pulse quickened as he looked into how cold Axel’s gaze had be. But he said nothing.


    “That woman… she ndered me. I will sue her.” Axel narrowed his eyes on Joseph. “Now you know about Harper Cooper…”


    “T-This…” Joseph opened his mouth. But the words refused toe because the weight of the truth still crushed his thoughts. His breathing grew shallow.


    Axel’s gaze hardened further, his voice dropping into something far darker. “I wanted you to pay for your crime.”


    Joseph’s heart pounded violently. Fear slithered into his chest. ’Pay for my crime? What crime?’


    As if he heard what he thought, Axel continued, “Your crime,” her said quietly, each wordnding like a hammer, “was trying to harm Evelyn.”


    The room’s temperature seemed to drop to below zero.


    Joseph’s face lost all color. Suddenly, this was no longer about Harper Cooper, the scandal, or gossip. It was simply a matter of his judgment.


    Joseph sat there in silence, his shoulders heavy, his thoughts tangled beyond repair.


    The storm inside his mind had not settled since the moment Axel Knight began tearing apart everything he believed to be buried safely in the past. His n for Evelyn. Harper Cooper. The hotel room. The photographs. The usations. The truth that refused to stay hidden.


    After sighing quietly for what felt like the tenth time, Joseph finally lifted his gaze.


    “Mr. Knight, I’ll ept whatever you want,” he said, his voice strained but steady enough to survive the tension suffocating the room. Then, after a brief hesitation, he added, “But I also have a request… Please, never reveal to Evelyn what I did to her in the past.”


    Under the table, Axel’s fist clenched instantly. The movement was invisible, but the force behind it was not difficult to imagine.


    ’Dang it…’ Axel’s jaw tightened. ’This bastard is really courting death.’


    The sheer audacity of the request nearly shattered the thinyer of restraint Axel had been maintaining. Joseph Carter, a man who had just admitted to drugging Evelyn, now dared to ask for mercy as if he were negotiating a business contract.


    Yet Axel’s expression remained unchanged and revealed nothing. No fury. No disgust. Only cold, terrifyingposure.


    “Your position here,” Axel replied calmly, his voice smooth but edged with unmistakable steel, “isn’t to make requests.”


    Joseph’s stomach tightened.


    Axel’s gaze sharpened. “It is to ept your punishment.” He continued.


    Joseph swallowed hard. The temperature of the room seemed to drop once more. His expression stiffened, his face turning noticeably pale. Whatever fragile confidence he had gathered moments earlier vanishedpletely.


    “What… what do you want me to do?” Joseph asked. It was the only sentence he could manage.


    His mind, still battered by shock, struggled desperately to keep pace with reality. Too many revtions. Too many blows. Too many pieces of his carefully controlled life were copsing within less than an hour.


    Axel, however, did not answer.


    Instead, he reached calmly for his cellphone and dialed.


    Joseph watched him with rising unease.


    The silence stretched.


    Then—


    “Dn,” Axel said simply, his tone t and controlled, “you may enter now.”


    The call ended.


    Axel ced the phone gently back on the table. And waited.


    Joseph’s pulse quickened.


    The air thickened again, tension creeping into every corner of the room like an invisible fog. The seconds dragged mercilessly, each tick of time amplifying Joseph’s growing anxiety.


    It didn’t take long… a soft knock echoed from the door.


    “Come in,” Axel said calmly.


    The door opened.


    Dn stepped inside, carrying a briefcase. He looked professional andposed. Yet his eyes, sharp and observant as always, immediately took in the charged atmosphere that filled the room. His gaze flickered briefly toward Joseph before returning to Axel.


    Axel gestured slightly.


    “Sit.”


    Dn gave a small nod without speaking. He closed the door quietly behind him before moving toward the table and settling into the chair beside Axel.


    Joseph’s unease deepened.


    Because Dn’s presence never signaled anything pleasant.


    Without being asked, Dn ced the briefcase on the table and opened it with smooth efficiency. The metallic clicks of the locks sounded unusually loud in the suffocating silence.


    Joseph’s throat tightened.


    Dn reached inside his briefcase and pulled out a folder. Then calmly ced it neatly on the table.


    Then his gaze lifted. Direct. Unwavering. Focused entirely on Joseph Carter.


    Axel leaned back slightly. “You may read this document.”


    At the same time, Dn pushed the folder toward Joseph.


    The simple gesture carried devastating weight.


    Joseph hesitated. His fingers hovered uncertainly before finally reaching forward. The folder felt heavier than paper had any right to feel. His pulse thundered violently as he slowly opened it.


    His eyes scanned the contents. Everything inside him froze.


    Shock exploded across Joseph’s face. His pupils widened. His breathing stalled.


    Because the document resting in his trembling hands was unmistakable—A share transfer agreement of his share on Walters Group to Axel Knight.


    Joseph stared at the paper as if it were written in a foreignnguage.


    “This…” His voice barely emerged.


    The price stated there was absurd. Far above market value. Generous. Unreasonably generous.


    Yet the generosity did not bring relief. It brought disbelief, annoyance, and resistance.


    Joseph slowly lifted his gaze toward Axel, refusal shing clearly across his eyes.


    “Mr. Knight,” he said, his voice strained with shock, “I never intended to sell my shares.”


    Axel remained silent.


    Joseph’s grip tightened around the document. “Why are you offering me this?” He asked.


    Axel’s gaze turned colder. Dangerously colder.


    “Again,” Axel said calmly, his tone smooth yet merciless, “you do not have the right to question me.”


    Joseph’s chest tightened.


    Axel’s eyes held no warmth. No patience. Only cial indifference. “Sign it… That’s your punishment. You don’t deserve to remain at Walters Group or to be near my wife.”


    Joseph was struck speechless as the words hit him hard. Leaving him unable to speak.


    “And you will receive your money immediately.”


    Silence engulfed the room once more.


    Joseph stared at the document. Then at Axel. Then back at the paper.


    The weight of the situation pressed down upon him with brutal rity. This was not an offer. This was not a negotiation but control.


    Axel Knight was not buying shares. He was dismantling his power. Piece by piece until there’s nothing left.


    Joseph’s fingers trembled faintly.


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    <strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.