004

~LIAM POV~

I slammed the door to my penthouse harder than I needed to.

The sound echoed through the empty space. Tiled floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Minimalist furniture that cost more than most people made in a year but it all felt cold.

I yanked off my tie and threw it on the couch, then headed straight for the bar. Whiskey. Neat. I downed it in one gulp and poured another.

My phone buzzed on the counter. I ignored it. Arthur's face kept flashing in my head. That stupid, entitled expression when he saw me. Like he couldn't believe I had the audacity to come back.

And her.

Yvonne.

I set the glass down harder than I meant to. It smashed against the marble.

I had done my research. Spent the last three months digging into every corner of my dear brother's life. His company, his assets and his dirty little secrets, and her name kept coming up.

Yvonne Baldort. Twenty-six. Orphan. Grew up in a church. Got a scholarship to the same college Arthur attended. Graduated top of her class. Now worked as his assistant.

His assistant.

The reports didn't say she was his girlfriend. Didn't mention anything personal. But I knew Arthur. I knew how he operated. He never kept anyone close unless they were useful. Or stupid enough to worship him.

She looked like the worshipping type. I grabbed my laptop and pulled up the file again. Her employee photo stared back at me. Soft eyes. Shy smile. The kind of face that made you think she'd never hurt anyone in her life.

Pathetic. No—not pathetic. Naive. That's what she was. Naive enough to believe Arthur Klein gave a damn about anyone but himself.

I closed the laptop and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. This wasn't supposed to bother me. She wasn't supposed to bother me. But the way she looked at him…like he was her whole world…it made my stomach turn.

I had seen that look before.

On my mother's face. Every time my father came home late. Every time he lied. Every time he chose them over us.

And I hated it.

*************************

I was halfway through my second drink when I heard voices in the hallway.

Arthur's voice, harsh, Irritated, and hers, quiet and Shaking.

I set my glass down and moved toward the door. My penthouse was on the same floor as Arthur's. Different side of the building. But the walls in these luxury apartments weren't as thick as people thought.

I pressed my ear against the door.

“…..just need to calm down and listen to me," Arthur was saying.

"I am listening." Yvonne’s voice cracked. "I've been listening this whole time."

"Then stop acting like this is some huge betrayal. Holly came onto me, Yvonne. What was I supposed to do?"

Total silence. I could picture her face. The way her lip probably trembled. The way she probably wanted to believe him.

"You could've said no," she whispered.

Arthur laughed, like he actually laughed. "Come on. You can't seriously expect me to turn down someone like Holly. She's confident. She knows what she's doing. She doesn't just lie there like a dead fish."

My hand clenched into a fist against the door.

"Arthur…."

"I'm not saying it's entirely your fault," he continued, his voice dripping with condescension. "But you have to admit, Yvonne, you're not exactly... exciting. I've tried to be patient with you. I've tried to teach you. But you just don't get it."

"I tried…"

"Not hard enough." His voice dropped lower. Softer. The kind of tone that sounded almost gentle but wasn't. "If you want to keep me, you need to do better. Be better. Stop being so... boring."

I heard her sob, quiet, muffled, like she was trying to hold it in. And then Arthur's voice again. Closer now. Like he had pulled her into his arms.

"Shh, hey, come here. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm just being honest. That's what you want, right? Honesty?" She didn't answer. "I care about you, Yvonne. I do. But you have to meet me halfway. You have to try."

My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth would crack.

He was doing it. Right now. In real time. Breaking her down. Making her think it was her fault. That she wasn't enough. That if she just tried harder, loved him better, gave more, he'd finally treat her right.

I'd seen this before too.

My father did the same thing to my mother. Blamed her for his affairs. Told her she wasn't woman enough to keep him satisfied. Made her believe she deserved it.

And she believed him. Until the day she couldn't take it anymore.

I stepped back from the door, my hands were shaking, not from fear, but from rage. Arthur hadn't changed, not one bit. Still the same spoiled, manipulative bastard who thought the world owed him everything.

And she….Yvonne…she was going to end up just like my mother if someone didn't stop this. I grabbed my phone and stared at her employee file again.

‘Starting with her,’ I had said.

I meant it as a threat, a way to get under Arthur's skin. But now? Now I realized something else. If I wanted to destroy Arthur, really destroy him, I couldn't just take his company, his money and his reputation.

I had to take her. The one thing he thought he owned. The one person who looked at him like he was worth something. I had to break her free or break her completely trying.

Either way, Arthur would suffer. And that's all that mattered. I poured another drink and stared out the window at the city lights below.

Somewhere out there, Yvonne was probably still crying in Arthur's arms. Still apologizing for something that wasn't her fault. Still believing his lies.

I took a sip and smiled.

Not for long.