THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.
Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Chapter 26

At that moment, the atmosphere in the room thickened with silent tension. Murmurs began to ripple through the group sharp whispers, soft grumbles, and impatient sighs. Their faces were no longer just filled with confusion or frustration there was now growing resentment, and it was pointed in one direction.

James.

One of the men sitting by the far side of the table leaned forward and whispered harshly to the person beside him, "He’s obviously hiding something. You can tell. Look at how he keeps deflecting."

Another voice followed quickly, louder this time. "We’re wasting time. The more we sit here listening to his excuses, the more danger our businesses face."

More heads nodded in agreement, some gritting their teeth, others shaking their heads in disbelief. The consensus was growing quickly, and the pressure was mounting.

"Exactly," one of them snapped. "We all know the Victors don’t just move without reason. Someone messed up and all signs point at him."

"The blacklist wasn’t random," someone else added. "We’ve seen this happen before. You offend someone powerful someone the Victors respect and then this kind of storm follows. We’re not stupid."

One of the elder men, who had been quietly observing from the corner, finally spoke in a deep, slow voice. "The longer we take to fix this, the more we bleed. It won’t stop at this blacklist. This is only the beginning. If we don’t make amends soon, our companies might collapse."

There was a heavy silence again, then someone muttered, "And what if tomorrow, our accounts get frozen? Or our partners pull out?"

At that moment James felt his throat tighten. He stepped forward, his voice louder now, cutting through the noise.

"So, what now?" he said, his eyes darting from face to face. "Are you all accusing me?"

The murmurs stopped.

James raised his voice a notch. "Are you seriously accusing me of being the reason your contracts were canceled? That your names were blacklisted? That your businesses are collapsing?"

His voice cracked slightly, his pride battling the wave of shame crawling up his spine.

He looked around again this time slower, more deliberate. Their eyes didn’t flinch. No one looked away. If anything, their gazes hardened, their silence louder than any words.

James clenched his fists.

"Are you guys now accusing me?"

At that moment, before James could even blink or utter a word, all of them shouted back at him loud, clear, and in perfect agreement.

"Yes! You were the one!"

Their voices echoed through the room, filled with rage and certainty. It wasn’t just an accusation anymore, It was a verdict, And James stood in the middle of it, like a man condemned.

The air became heavy, like something poisonous had settled among them.

Every eye in the room burned with anger. Every face was twisted with disappointment, frustration, and bitter betrayal. Some stood to their feet. Some clenched their fists on the table. Others simply stared at James like he was the plague that had infected all their lives.

"You are not going to get away from this," one of them spat. "We’ve lost too much because of you!"

Another banged his hand on the table. "Contracts! Partners! Opportunities! All gone, just like that! And you’re standing here acting like you don’t know anything?"

James took an uneasy step back. His heart raced. His breath shortened. For the first time, he realized just how dangerous the situation had become.

Then, the man who had initially called James for the meeting stood up slowly. There was something in his eyes now darkness, threat, and a quiet, growing rage that felt more dangerous than any loud scream.

He straightened his suit, walked a few steps closer to James, and said in a voice that was low but firm, "It seems you’re very, very stubborn, James."

He didn’t blink. He didn’t break his stare.

"But let me remind you do not mistake my calmness for weakness. Do you know who I am? Do you know what I’m capable of?"

James felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

"I’m not someone you can just push around. I’m not someone you can humiliate or lie to. I brought you into this meeting out of respect. But you decided to treat me and everyone else here like fools."

He took one more step, and his tone deepened.

"Let me make one thing very clear, James. Blacklist or not, ruined contract or not... I still have enough power to crush you. And I will."

The room went silent. Everyone froze.

"This is not a warning," he added, his voice now laced with venom. "It’s a threat. Since you’ve chosen to stay quiet... Since you’ve chosen to drag us all down with you... then I’ll come for you. Personally."

James swallowed hard, but his throat was dry.

The man took a final look at James, sharp and cold, then turned back to the others.

"Let him enjoy the little time he has left. Because what’s coming next, he won’t see it coming."

At that moment, without wasting any more time, James suddenly burst into laughter. It wasn’t nervous laughter. It wasn’t the kind that came from a place of fear. No it was loud, mocking, and filled with arrogance.

He took a few slow steps around the room, his hands tucked in his pockets, scanning each face that stared back at him with fury. Then he stopped, smirked, and said in a calm, proud voice:

"Really? You think I’m scared? Do I look like someone that’s afraid of you?"

The silence in the room was deafening.

"I’m not scared of you," he continued. "I’m not scared of any of you. Look at yourselves panicking like helpless puppies just because you’ve been blacklisted. Like, what exactly do you think you can do to me?"

He scoffed and pointed at the man who had threatened him earlier. "You? You think you’re some big deal? Please."

James chuckled again and shook his head. "You all seem to forget something. You’ve been blacklisted. Not me. So don’t stand there acting all powerful, trying to intimidate me like I owe you anything."

At that moment he leaned on the table, his eyes sharp and daring. "Do I look like someone who’s afraid of a bunch of desperate businessmen who are now running around like headless chickens because their connections have dried up overnight?"

They remained silent, their jaws clenched, their eyes burning.