Chapter 145 She Was Not a Toy
Erik’s expression twisted, a mixture of embarrassment, fury, and wounded pride. Athena’s words had pierced straight through his arrogance, stripping him of the smug confidence he always carried. For once, he didn’t know what to say.
“You…” he choked out, pointing a trembling finger at her, but his usual smirk was gone.
Athena didn’t flinch. Her eyes were cold, unwavering.
“Go on,” she said coolly. “If Byron really said that at the dinner tonight, then you shouldn’t have a problem confirming it with him. Unless, of course, you’re lying to provoke me.”
Erik’s lips pressed into a tight line. He had expected her to lose her temper, or at least falter. Instead, she stood there, poised and unshaken.
“You women think you’re clever,” he sneered, though the fire in his tone had dimmed. “Always playing the victim and pretending to be so pure.”
Athena raised a brow, undeterred. “And men like you think money and a few pretty words are enough to make a woman drop her values.”
She turned on her heel, not giving him another glance. “Next time you want to seduce someone, start with someone as shallow as yourself.”
Erik clenched his fists, staring after her, seething with a bruised ego. But there was also a flicker of something else in his gaze—unease. He hadn’t expected to lose control of the situation, especially not with Athena, whom he had pegged as just another woman caught in a power game.
Athena, meanwhile, walked away with her head high. Her mind briefly returned to that night years ago—the terrifying moment Byron had seemed to offer her to another man, only to turn around and protect her in the most brutal, calculating way.
She had hated him for it.
But at the same time, that moment revealed the kind of man Byron truly was. Cold. Ruthless. Possessive. He might have played with people like chess pieces, but once he placed his hand on a piece, no one else was allowed to touch it. Not even for a second.
Athena knew now that the incident with the mining president had been a test—a brutal one, but a test nonetheless. She passed that night by staying silent, by letting Byron handle it his way. She had always wondered why he didn’t fire her afterward, or distance himself. But now she understood: in his own twisted way, he had claimed her.
And now, years later, others were trying to tear her away—Erik with his sick offer, Heather with her schemes, and even Rose’s interest that felt as much like scrutiny as admiration.
Athena straightened her spine as she stepped back into the reception. She wasn’t just a pawn anymore. Not to Byron, not to Rose, and certainly not to Erik Lawson.
Whatever happened next, she would choose her path herself—and no one would use her again without a cost.