(Natalie’s Pov)The days following Eleanor's visit to Victor's mansion felt darker than before. The mansion was shrouded in darkness with an air filled with sorrow, as if the very walls had absorbed her pain. Eleanor had not said much after that fateful day. She avoided her husband's gaze, avoided Alexander, even avoided me. She moved like a ghost through the corridors, her face was pale, her hands were trembling, her voice was lost.I couldn’t shake the sound of her sobs from my mind. I was there when Victor closed the door on her, and I had witnessed the way in which her hope was shattered in a single moment. And yet, part of me believed possibly, just possibly, Victor would change his mind. Perhaps his rage would die down enough for him to reevaluate.But I was wrong.One morning, the tension boiled over. Victor had come unexpectedly, not to visit the family in kindness, but to deliver his message like a man swinging a blade.We sat in the spacious sitting room when it occurred. Th
(Natalie’s POV)The house had become unbearably silent. Silence so deafening that any sound, any step, any sigh, even the ticking of the grandfather clock rang out loud and intrusive. After the storm of revelations, everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts, carrying invisible weights on their shoulders.However, it was Eleanor who appeared most haunted.She wandered about like a woman who carried a shadow. Her eyes were distant, her hands were agitated, her voice trembling while speaking. I have been keeping a watchful eye on her. Guilt was attached to every move of hers, and I was certain that something was accumulating within her. Something she was holding back.I was not shocked when she eventually whispered to herself one night in the corridor, her voice low but desperate.“I must find him. I need to”.I thought I had misheard at first. But then she repeated herself and I knew right away who she was referring to. Victor.She hid it, but I could observe the change in her. She avo
(Natalie’s POV)The atmosphere in the hospital room seemed thick, as if any moment a storm could erupt. We had stayed in that room surrounded by silence, guilt, and betrayal for days. Alexander's father hardly uttered a word, Eleanor was in tears, and Alexander carried the weight of both their suffering on his shoulders.I observed him more intently than any one else. He was worn out, he had hollow eyes, tense shoulders, his spirit was pulled two opposite directions. Each time he gazed at his father, I noticed the rage and disappointment consuming him. Each time his eyes looked towards his mother, I noticed the struggle between love and betrayal tearing him apart.I had made a promise to myself that no matter how bad it got, I would never abandon him. But now, more than anything, I understood that to stand next to him was not sufficient. He desperately needed direction. He needed someone to help him see the pain for what it really was and to face it instead of running from it.It was
Natalie’s POVThe hospital rooms seemed to close in around me with each passing hour. The smell of antiseptic, the gentle beeping of machines, the intermittent sounds of nurses shoes, all of these seemed like reminders that Alexander's world had just cracked open, and none of us were sure if it might ever be mended.Never in my life had I ever seen him this broken. He was standing next to his father's bed, stiff as stone, looking at the person who was once his beacon of strength. And next to him, like a shadow choking in humiliation, was Eleanor, his mother.Her hands quivered, her face was pale, her eyes were red from constant weeping. She desperately wanted to talk, but her voice choked in her throat every time and I understood why. This wasn't just about betrayal. This was about years, decades of silence, deception, and choices that could never be undone.The moment Alexander went outside to pick up a phone call, the silence in the room became unbearable. Eleanor then moved closer
(Alexander's POV)The night was heavier than it normally was, as if the world itself had decided it was going to press its weight against my shoulders. I couldn't even think straight after finding out the truth, that Victor, the man that had dedicated his entire life to ruining me, wasn't just a rival. He was my brother. My blood.That single realization kept echoing in my mind. I had battled him with everything I had, cursed his name, despised his very existence….yet we shared something more deep than business conflicts. My rage was no longer solely against him, it stretched over toward my mother, toward the secrets she was keeping, toward the lies she allowed to grow roots in our lives.But what I did not expect was how far the truth would reach. It was not only my burden, It belonged to my dad too and when the truth reached him, it shattered him in a manner I never thought possible.It happened the next morning. I was in my room when my father burst in. His face was pale, his lips
(Alexander's POV)The days following that night at my house felt like chains around my feet. Every corner of the walls held silence. My mother spoke little, she was often absorbed in her thoughts, while I struggled with anger and bewilderment. Natalie had attempted to contact me, but even her voice reminded me of the storm we were stuck in.However, the silence didn't mean there was peace, it was the calm before the storm grew more intense. And I sensed something bigger was coming.I couldn’t shake the memory of my mother calling her father Jacob. That one name carried more weight than I wanted to admit. I had never seen her appear so vibrant and shattered simultaneously. It seemed as if the past had walked right into our home.But that wasn't the only thing that was haunting me. Victor, my so-called competitor. The guy who had made it his mission to overtake me in business, to snatch every deal I worked for, every client I landed. His presence had always loomed behind me. I had hated