Page 116 of King of Pride

“This is my house. Leave.”

She had never spoken to Ivan like that before.

Never raised her voice at him. Never looked at him with such absolute finality. Never made it so clear that there was no place for him in her life anymore.

And somehow, that only seemed to push him further over the edge.

Ivan’s jaw tightened as his gaze slowly shifted from Rose to the man standing beside her.

Until now, he had barely paid attention to Maverick.

Now he looked at him properly.

His eyes traveled upward, taking in his imposing height and broad shoulders before settling on the cold expression carved across his face. There was something about the man’s presence that made Ivan instinctively tense.

Then recognition flickered across his features.

Maverick Bishop.

The owner of Imperium Fragrances—one of the most powerful groups in the country.

The man people whispered about behind closed doors.

The man they called a demon. A monster. An angry beast.

The man rumored to have turned against his own family and dealt ruthlessly with anyone foolish enough to cross him.

Ivan let out a disbelieving scoff. A mocking smile slowly spread across his face as he looked at Rose.

“You married him?” he said incredulously. “The man everyone calls a monster? A devil? A demon?”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“He destroyed his own family and ruthlessly took everything from them. And now you’ve married him? That heartless bastard? Everyone knows how evil he is.”

Maverick’s expression hardened.

Before Ivan could say another word, Maverick stepped forward, seized him by the collar, and hauled him toward the front door.

“Let go—”

Maverick didn't even slow down.

He dragged Ivan outside and shoved him down the front steps. Ivan stumbled, his arms flying out as he desperately tried to regain his balance, but his foot slipped off the edge of a step.

He went tumbling down the remaining stairs before landing hard at the bottom.

Maverick remained at the top, looking down at him without the slightest flicker of emotion.

“Get lost.”

Ivan pushed himself to his feet, his face burning with humiliation.

His anger was rising, but beneath it lurked something far more unsettling.

Fear.

For the first time, the reality of losing Rose was finally sinking in.