GRAYSON The defiance in her voice, the audacity to say no to me, ignited a fire I hadn’t felt in years. My hands stilled on the last button of my shirt, the fabric half-open, exposing the tattoos inked across my chest. Her refusal wasn’t just a word; it was a challenge—a direct affront to the control I held over her over everything. My jaw tightened as I watched her, her shoulders squared, her eyes locked onto mine with a mixture of fear and rebellion. She didn’t flinch, not even when the air between us crackled with the tension of unspoken threats. I could see her trembling, but she stood her ground, refusing to bend. The sight of her like this—angry, determined—was infuriating, but it also stirred something else inside me, something I couldn’t name but couldn’t ignore. I took a slow, deliberate step toward her, watching as her breath hitched in her throat. I could see the effort it took for her not to back away, to hold her ground even as I closed the distance between us. The
GRAYSON The revelation hit me like a sledgehammer, shattering through the wall of fury that had consumed me moments before. SKYLER. The woman I had spent years searching for, the woman who had disappeared without a trace, leaving a void that I had filled with anger, power, and control."Where?" I forced the word out, my voice raw and hoarse.Tony hesitated, knowing the gravity of what he was about to say. "She’s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We tracked her to a secluded estate in the hills. The place is heavily guarded, but there's no doubt— it’s her."For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions—disbelief and anger. But above all, I need to get to that bitch right away. "Send me the address," I demanded, my voice barely more than a growl. My heart pounded in my chest, a chaotic drumbeat that drowned out all rational thought. I needed to see it with my own eyes. I needed to see her.My phone chimed with a notification right away. I glanced down and saw the loca
ARIANA I stared at the framed photo of Grayson and his wife, Skyler, as his words echoed in my mind: "The child you’re carrying… It’s mine." The certainty in his voice had left no room for doubt, yet it only deepened the confusion swirling inside me. But why did Lucian’s wife tell me Grayson couldn’t have children?I looked back at Skyler’s image, her eyes seemingly boring into mine with a secretive gleam. What was going on with you and Grayson? I silently questioned the photo, my thoughts racing. Why did you cheat on him with his brother? The idea was almost unfathomable, but there it was, staring me in the face. And the more I thought about it, the more pieces seemed to fall into place.Was it because of Grayson’s abusive attitude? The question lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating. I had seen the cold, ruthless side of him, the part that seemed to enjoy wielding power and control. But now, after last night… I wasn’t so sure.Last night, there had been a flicker of something
ARIANA My eyes fluttered open slowly, the world around me swimming into focus with disorienting slowness. Everything was blurry at first—a haze of light and shadow that made no sense. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from my vision. As the room finally came into view, my heart sank.The space was unfamiliar, clean, and expensive-looking—like a hospital room, but not quite. The walls were a soft cream colour, adorned with minimalist artwork, and the furniture was modern and sleek. A faint smell of antiseptic lingered in the air, making my nose wrinkle in discomfort. The muted beeping of machines filled the quiet room, each sound a jarring reminder of where I was. A sense of dread began to claw its way up from the pit of my stomach, making my heart beat erratically. The events leading up to this moment began to flood back, one after another, like a terrible montage playing in my mind. The pain, the blood… the realisation hit me with brutal force. I slowly moved my shaking
ARIANA I stared at Mathew, my mind spinning as I tried to process his words. “Wait,” I said, cutting him off, my voice laced with disbelief, “who did you say brought you here?”Mathew looked at me with a calm, steady gaze, his eyes filled with concern. “Your husband,” he repeated gently, as if saying my husband would somehow make it more believable.I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. Grayson? The same man who hadn’t bothered to show his face in four days? The same man who left me alone, broken, and grieving? Why would he do that? It didn’t make sense. Nothing about this made sense.“Grayson did?” I asked again, my voice a mere whisper as I tried to make sense of it all. The idea that Grayson had reached out to my brothers—that he had thought of me, of my need for my family—felt like a cruel twist of fate. It clashed violently with the image of him I had held onto, the cold, detached man who seemed to care for nothing but his own needs.Mathew nodded, his grip on my hand tightening
GRAYSON I cracked my eyes open, my head pounding like a drum. Through the blur, I saw the door creak open and caught a glimpse of Ariana’s face. Her eyes widened in shock before she quickly shut the door, disappearing from view. Damn it. My head felt like it was about to split in two, the hangover, a brutal reminder of last night's excesses.I groaned, forcing my eyes open fully. The dull light in the room did nothing to help the pounding in my skull. I glanced down at the woman beside me—the one I'd dragged back from the club. Her bleached hair was tangled across the pillow, her makeup smudged and smeared. I felt a wave of irritation wash over me. I didn’t even remember her name, and I sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for this.“Get dressed and get lost,” I muttered, my voice gravelly and harsh. I grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her upright, ignoring her soft whimper of pain. My patience was thinner than a razor’s edge. I needed her gone. Now.I reached for my pants on the f
GRAYSON As I stared at the video, my emotions tangled in a mess I couldn't unravel. My thumb hovered over the screen, ready to close it and shove the feelings back into the box where they belonged. But before I could, a notification banner appeared at the top of the screen.Lord Andre: Why didn’t you tell me your wife had a miscarriage?My heart stopped, then kicked into overdrive, thudding so hard I could feel it in my throat. My grip on the phone tightened, my knuckles going white. How the hell did he know? I made sure that everything that happened inside my house stayed there. I’d made damn sure of it. Without thinking, I hurled the phone across the room. It hit the glass window with a sharp crack, the sound echoing in the quiet office. The glass didn’t shatter, but a thin spiderweb of cracks spread across the surface, matching the fractured chaos inside my mind.I leaned back in my chair, trying to steady my breathing, but the anger and confusion boiled inside me, refusing to se
GRAYSON Lord Andre’s face remained hard as stone, his eyes never leaving mine. He didn’t move, didn’t blink, just let the weight of his words sink in. The silence stretched between us like a taut rope, ready to snap. Without another word, I turned and walked out, not bothering to look back.As I stepped outside, the cool evening air hit me, but it did little to cool the fire raging inside me. My thoughts were a whirlwind of anger, confusion, and frustration, the photos still flashing in my mind like a bad dream.I barely noticed Deborah standing on the porch, her arms wrapped around herself as if shielding against the chill in the air. She shifted slightly as I approached, her arms crossed as if trying to hold herself together. As I passed her, she spoke, her voice tentative but laced with desperation. “Have you… have you heard anything about my husband?”I stopped in my tracks, my jaw clenching. Without turning to face her, I replied coldly, “I have no business with your husban
ARIANA Grayson’s steady presence over the past few days had been a balm to my frayed emotions. He wasn’t overly affectionate or smothering, but he stayed by my side in quiet solidarity, offering comfort in ways only he could. Whether it was the small gestures, like ensuring I ate or sitting with me during my sleepless nights, his presence had become a lifeline.It was after one of those long, quiet nights, with dawn breaking and spilling soft light into the room, that I realized I was ready to let go of the past—or at least try. Clinging to the pain wouldn’t change what had happened. And Grayson, in his own way, had shown me that moving forward was the only way to truly live.Grayson and I hadn’t spoken much about Florence or Skyler since that explosive confrontation. But I knew he’d made his decision, prompted, no doubt, by my brothers. Gabriel had insisted he let them go, arguing that the cycle of anger and vengeance had to end somewhere. To my surprise, Grayson agreed—not because
ARIANA The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. Grayson drove in silence, his grip on the steering wheel firm. Gabriel sat in the passenger seat, his usual stoic demeanour intact. In the back, Ethan on my left stared out the window, while Mathew on my right leaned back, his eyes darting between me and the others. I couldn’t sit still, my thoughts spinning wildly after everything Gabriel had told me.Florence, our aunt. Skyler, her daughter. And yet, I still had questions. Questions Gabriel hadn’t fully answered.Unable to stay silent any longer, I leaned forward, poking my head between the front seats. My eyes fixed on Gabriel. “Are you absolutely sure you had no clue that Skyler was her daughter?” Gabriel sighed, his expression as unreadable as ever. “No, Ariana,” he said firmly. “I didn’t.” I looked ahead at the road, my mind spinning. Then, almost involuntarily, my gaze flicked back to Gabriel. “But why does she look so much like…” My voice trailed off befo
ARIANA Gabriel's sharp gaze softened unexpectedly, catching me off guard. "As much as I want to break you two apart, I won't," he said, his voice calm, almost resigned. "I'm not here to do that. I just wanted to check on all of you, but it looks like you're much better than I thought." My mouth fell open. Had I heard him, right? Was this some sort of trick? My heart raced even faster than when he had first walked through the door. I tried to read his face, but his expression was maddeningly neutral. Gabriel wasn’t the kind of man to sugarcoat his words or play games. If he wanted to make his disapproval known, he would. But now...he was standing here, saying he wouldn’t tear me and Grayson apart. My chest tightened, confusion swirling with a strange relief. "Y-you’re serious?" I managed to say, my voice cracking slightly. Before Gabriel could respond, Mathew—never one to stay silent—opened his mouth. "She and I nearly—" Panic shot through me like lightning. Without thinking
GRAYSON I stood frozen, my mind reeling as I tried to process what he had just said. He was there? My father had done unspeakable things in his life, but the idea that Gabriel had witnessed one of those horrors firsthand made my stomach churn.“You were… there?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, struggling to keep my composure.Gabriel’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening as he nodded slowly. "I was there. I saw everything," he said, his voice low but steady. "I was in the car with my father that day. He took me with him but when we arrived at his destination he left me in the car and went inside the building. That's when I noticed another boy around my age. He was sitting in a nearby car, looking bored and tired. And recently I just found out that he was your brother." He paused, the memory sharpening in his eyes. "As kids do, we got caught up in our little world, talking and laughing like nothing else mattered. Then
GRAYSON I sat in the chair beside Ariana’s bed, watching her sleep, her face still pale, her breath shallow but steady. The quiet of the room wrapped around me like a shroud, the soft hum of the mansion's night air only adding to the stillness. I felt the weight of every hour that had passed, the clock ticking relentlessly toward dawn, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to move. It was as though time had slowed just for me, granting me a moment of respite to reflect on everything that had happened and the broken pieces of my life that seemed to be multiplying with each passing second.The doctor had come earlier, gave them both some medication, and thankfully, there were no major injuries or anything more serious. Florence... she had always been there for me. I had trusted her with everything. When I had lost my way, when I thought I needed guidance, she was the one I leaned on. She had become like a mother to me. But now, sitting here, with every
GRAYSON I pushed myself off the bed, the heaviness of the night and the weight of Ariana’s tense reaction pressing down on me like a suffocating smoke. The unease was unbearable, clawing at my insides. I couldn’t stay here any longer. Quietly, I grabbed my phone and left the room, making my way to my home office. The moment I stepped inside, I shut the door behind me, the silence of the space offering no solace. I reached for the whiskey bottle sitting on the corner of my desk, poured myself a shot, and downed it in one gulp. The burn seared down my throat, bringing a fleeting sense of relief—temporary, but it was something. I pulled out my phone and stared at it for a moment before scrolling to Lucian’s contact. It was late, but I knew my brother well enough—he would still be awake. I pressed the call button, bringing the phone to my ear. Lucian answered after the second ring, his voice low and indifferent. “Did you make up your mind already?” I ignored the question, my grip
GRAYSON The drive to Lord Andre’s estate felt endless, the weight of the envelope on the passenger seat an unbearable presence. My knuckles ached from gripping the steering wheel too tightly, my thoughts spinning in chaotic circles. Every photograph, every name, every signature—it all pointed to him. The man I’d spent my entire life trying to outshine, to escape from under his shadow. When I arrived, the towering gates loomed like the bars of a prison. I punched in the code, barely waiting for the gates to swing open before speeding through the driveway. The tires screeched as I parked haphazardly near the front steps. The house, always a symbol of his power, now felt like a fortress of secrets. I stormed through the entrance, my footsteps echoing against the marble floors. A few of his staff glanced my way but wisely stayed silent. My destination was clear—his office. I shoved the double doors open, expecting to find him beh
GRAYSON The car came to a halt in front of Lucian’s hotel, the sleek black facade gleaming under evening night lights. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, jaw clenching as I stared at the building’s entrance. Lucian always had a way of orchestrating his theatrics, and the thought of dealing with him only made my patience wear thinner. I stepped out, the cool night air doing little to ease the heat simmering beneath my skin. With purposeful strides, I made my way to the entrance. The doorman nodded, opening the grand glass doors as I walked inside. A polished worker greeted me immediately, bowing slightly before speaking. "Mr. Anderson, Mr. Lucian is waiting for you in the VIP private lounge. Please, this way." I followed him silently, the muffled sounds of classical music and faint chatter growing distant as we ascended to the exclusive floor. The plush carpet absorbed the sound of my footsteps, the hallway eerily quiet until the worker stopped in front of an intricately
ARIANA I stormed out of the room, the sharp sound of the door closing behind me echoing through the hall. My mind raced as I leaned against the door, pressing my ear to the wooden surface. Whatever Ethan and Florence were discussing, it was intense enough for him to shut me out. My curiosity burned like a flame. Their voices were muffled, but I could catch faint snippets of words—nothing clear enough to make sense of, just tones of urgency and frustration. I pressed closer, determined to hear more, when suddenly, the door flew open. I stumbled back, nearly losing my footing as Ethan stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. “I knew you’d be eavesdropping, Ariana,” he said, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Do me a favour and head downstairs.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. “What business do you have with that woman, Ethan? You barely know her, yet suddenly you’re h