LOGINBrian's POVThe moment I saw Vincent, I knew something was wrong. Not because he was here but because of the way he was looking at me. Vincent had always been predictable. He was arrogant when he was winning. Defensive when he was losing. Angry when he was cornered. Tonight he was none of those things. Tonight he was calm. And that worried me. Because calm Vincent was dangerous Vincent.Across the ballroom, our eyes met. Neither of us looked away. Then he smiled. It was a small smile but the kind that says I know something. The kind I hated. I excused myself from a conversation and moved toward him. The crowd parted naturally. Investors. Politicians. Executives. Nobody noticed the tension. Nobody realized they were watching two brothers preparing for war.“Enjoying yourself?" Vincent asked.“No.”His smile widened. “That’s unfortunate.”I studied him carefully. “What do you want?”“Can’t a brother say hello?”“No.”He laughed. At least we were being honest. For a few seconds neither o
I stared at the pregnancy report one last time before locking it inside my desk. Out of sight. Not out of mind. Definitely not out of mind.The last twenty-four hours had felt unreal. Every few minutes I caught myself thinking about it. Then I'd spent another one pretending I wasn't but still find myself thinking about it again.Pregnant.The word still didn't feel real. My phone rang. I glanced at the screen. It was my assistant. “Yes?”“Your car is waiting.”Right. The fundraiser. A charity gala hosted by several major investors. One of those events nobody actually wanted to attend but everyone important attended anyway. Normally I’d cancel. Today especially.Instead, I stood up, adjusted my dress, took one last look at my reflection and left. Because the world didn't stop simply because my life has become complicated. Again.The venue was already crowded when I arrived. Crystal chandeliers. Expensive suits. Fake smiles.Millions of dollars standing around pretending to discuss char
I should have stayed home. That was the first thought that crosses my mind as I stared at the stack of documents on my desk. The second thought was that I didn't have time to stay home. Not with everything that was happening. Not with Morrison Holdings still restructuring. Not with reporters digging into every corner of my life. Not with Brian. Especially not with Brian.Three days had passed since I asked him to leave. Three days of silence. Three days of pretending I didn't notice his absence. The annoying thing? I did. I noticed it every time I walked into a room and nobody was waiting with a security briefing. Every time my phone didn't ring with another warning. Every time I found myself wanting to tell him something before remembering I was angry with him. I pushed the thought away.A sharp knock interrupted my concentration. “Come in.”My assistant stepped inside, holding a tablet. She looked concerned. “There’s a board meeting in twenty minutes.”“Fine.”“And lunch.”I blinked
Vincent Carter had not slept. Not after reading the DNA results. Not after realizing the child growing inside his wife belonged to someone else. Not after seeing the name attached to the report.Brian Adrian. His brother. His own brother. The irony was almost funny. Almost.For years they had worked together. Planned together. Built schemes together and now Brian had managed to betray him in the one way Vincent never imagined. Vincent stood in his office staring at the city below. The report remained on his desk. Folded. Hidden. Waiting.He hadn’t confronted Rumbidzai yet. There was no rush. A weapon was more useful when the other person didn’t know you were holding it. His phone rang and he answered immediately. “What?”The voice on the other side sounded nervous.“Sir… they’ve found her.”Vincent froze. “Who?”A pause. Then:“Your daughter.”Across the city, chaos erupted. Police vehicles surrounded a local station. Reporters had arrived within minutes. Security teams flooded the ar
The drive back from my mother’s house was quiet. For once, I didn't answer any calls or emails. I didn't review reports. I didn't think about acquisitions. I just drove and did some thinking.My father loved my mother. He searched for us. He never abandoned us. Someone made sure we stayed apart.Then, years later, after finally finding me, he left a warning. A warning I should have listened to much sooner. Don’t trust the people who suddenly want to protect you.The words had been repeating themselves in my head for hours. Again and again, and again. By the time I reach the estate, I’d made my decision. Not out of anger. Not out of revenge but out of necessity. Because every time I discovered a new truth, Brian was standing somewhere in the middle of it. Every single time.I entered the house. The staff greeted me. I barely heard them. Then I saw him. Brian was standing in the living room. Jacket off. Sleeves rolled up. Phone in hand. Probably managing another crisis. His eyes immedia
Daphne's POVI woke up exhausted. Not physically but mentally and emotionally. I was exhausted from all the secrets, from the investigations. Exhausted from everyone deciding for me what I should and shouldn’t know. By ten in the morning, I’d made a decision. There wasn't going to be any board meetings, security briefings or acquisitions. I wasn't entertaining anyone today, from Gabriel Voss, Brian to Vincent. No more drama. I wanted answers. Real answers. So I drove to see my mother.The house looked exactly the same as it did when I was a child. It was still small, quite and ordinary. The kind of place nobody noticed. For years I'd thought it was because we were poor but now I wondered if it was because she wanted us to be invisible. She opened the door before I knocked. As if she already knew I was coming.“Daphne.”I walked inside. We didn't exchange greetings. I wasn't in the mood for small talk either. I went straight to the point, no pretending. “When were you going to tell me?
By midnight, Morrison Global’s crisis floor looked like a war room. Screens glowed across the darkened space. Market projections. Security feeds. Media alerts.Carter Holdings stock had already started fluctuating after rumors of the child’s disappearance leaked online. Exactly what the kidnappers
Nobody spoke after the call ended. The silence inside the boardroom felt wrong now. Heavy. Calculated.Daphne looked from Vincent to Brian, then back to the frozen image of Rumbidzai on the tablet screen.A black SUV. A baseball cap. A familiar face.Vincent swore violently under his breath. “That
“The child.”The room went silent after Vincent said the words. For one second, Daphne thought she had misheard him.Then Vincent grabbed his phone harder. “What do you mean she’s gone?” he barked. “Where was security?”Brian moved instantly. “Who took her?”Vincent looked furious. “How the hell wo
Three hours earlier—Gunfire shattered the rear windshield of Brian’s SUV.“Move!” his security driver shouted.Another vehicle slammed into them from the left. Brian grabbed the steering wheel as the driver lost control momentarily. Two more shots rang out. Everything was professional and controll







