Ch44 - Betray

Marcus hadn’t slept a single minute.

By the time dawn crept through the blinds, red veins had already spidered through his eyes. He came into the office still wearing yesterday’s shirt, his tie loose, his jaw shadowed with stubble. The anger was gone—but the cold, hollow calm that replaced it was somehow worse.

He and Allison had torn into each other the night before.

He’d wanted to believe her, wanted to believe there’d been some mistake—but the medical report screaming “0%” wouldn’t let him.

When she cried, he’d almost faltered. But her stubborn, wounded eyes insisting she’d done nothing wrong only made it worse.

For the first time, he wasn’t sure who he was furious at—her, his mother, or himself.

Was any of this worth it?

The company, the shares, the endless maneuvering…

His gaze had fallen on the contract waiting in his inbox, reminding It was too late to turn back.

When he pushed open the office door, conversation in the outer room died instantly. The smell of fresh coffee hung in the air, sharp and out of place in the silence. No one dared move.

Even his longtime secretary, who’d seen him through every crisis imaginable, shrank back at the sight of his expression.

Unfortunately, someone decided to show up anyway.

Julian was the only man alive stupid—or brave—enough to walk in that morning uninvited. He carried a small wicker basket covered with a soft, tan cloth printed with tiny teddy bears. It looked cheerful, the kind of thing that didn’t belong anywhere near Marcus right now.

When he reached the secretary’s desk, she gave him a look of quiet panic. Normally, she could block visitors. But this was family. And Julian’s mother, Serena, was in and out of the office all the time.

Julian noticed her hesitation. “What, bad mood today?”

She nodded quickly. “You might want to come back later…”

Julian hummed, thinking. “Yeah, when he’s pissed, he’s pretty scary… but hey, I’m not scared of him. We grew up together. He’s my cousin, not a shark.”

The secretary opened her mouth to protest, but Julian flashed her that easy grin—the one that made half the company forget what they were about to say. “Relax. I’ll knock myself. If he gets mad, tell him I insisted.”

His dimples flickered. The secretary could only sigh. “Fine… good luck.”

Julian turned down the short hallway, stopped in front of the heavy door at the end, and knocked.

Predictably, Marcus’s voice came from inside, clipped and irritated: “What?”

Julian didn’t wait for permission. He cracked the door open, poked his head in with a grin.

Marcus’s face hardened, then smoothed over—barely.

Taking that as permission, Julian walked in fully and shut the door behind him.

“What do you want?” Marcus’s tone could’ve frozen glass.

“Do I need a reason?” Julian said easily, dropping into the chair across from him. He set the basket down on the desk and crossed one leg over the other.

Marcus’s eyes landed on it, and his expression darkened instantly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Julian blinked, caught off guard.

“You following me now?” Marcus growled, voice sharp as a blade.

Julian frowned. “Following you? Oh—wait, you mean the baby thing?” He chuckled awkwardly. “Come on, man. You placed a massive order with half the luxury brands in the city. Word gets around. I just figured there was good news, so I brought you something to celebrate.”

Marcus said nothing, his face turning to stone.

Julian kept talking, oblivious—or pretending to be. “Violet actually put it together herself, since, well, I don’t know a damn thing about baby gifts. But seriously, you should open it with Allison. It’s—”

“Take it,” Marcus cut in, his tone slicing through the air like a knife.

The room fell silent again.

Julian blinked. “Huh? Why?”

Marcus lifted his gaze, forcing his voice to stay level. “You’ve got it wrong. I don’t have a kid.”

Julian paused, brow furrowing. “Got it wrong? Oh…” He smiled again, light and clueless. “Well, no harm done then. You’ll have one eventually, right? Consider it an early gift from your favorite cousin-turned-uncle.”

That one line landed square in Marcus’s chest — a clean, merciless hit. The irony was almost unbearable.

He stared at Julian’s open, unguarded face, searching it for the tiniest sign of mockery, of knowledge — anything.

Nothing.

The kid looked genuinely oblivious.

Could it be he really didn’t know? Julian’s father had died young, before anyone could tell him about the genetic issue running in the family. Maybe he had no idea they might share the same problem.

Maybe neither of them could pass on their bloodline.

For some reason, that thought eased something tight in Marcus’s chest — just a little.

His hand clenched into a fist, then relaxed again. He slid the basket to the side and said flatly, “Thanks. I appreciate the gesture.”

Julian’s eyes flicked to Marcus’s hand — the ring was gone. A faint smirk tugged at his lips, “No problem. Seriously though, I really envy you, man. When the hell will I ever be as good at this job as you are?”

He leaned back, hands laced behind his head, lounging in the chair.

Marcus arched a brow. “You act like this in the marketing department too?”

Julian shrugged. “Why not? Who’s gonna say anything? They’re too scared I’ll run tattling to you.”

Despite himself, Marcus’s expression softened a little. “You… really don’t make it easy to defend you, you know that? If you screw up again, not even your mother or I can cover for you.”

Julian rolled his eyes dramatically.

Marcus frowned. “That data set you messed up last time — twice. Were you being careless or just lazy? Or are you that unhappy with your job?”

“Of course I’m unhappy,” Julian said without hesitation. “You all know I wanted to join the R&D division, but Mom said I’d probably blow something up and banned me from it. So here I am, stuck in marketing. Everyone’s probably laughing behind my back.”

Marcus sighed. “Why R&D, anyway? That department’s brutal — long hours, constant pressure, strict protocols.”

Julian’s eyes lit up. “Because that’s where the real stuff happens! That’s our core division, isn’t it? I wanna see how those treatments are actually made. Besides, your team’s success with the clinical trials — that East Europe deal? That was insane. I’d kill to be part of that.”

Marcus hesitated, studying him. “...Want me to put in a word for you?” he asked, testing the waters.

Julian perked up instantly — then deflated just as fast. “You mean it? Nah, better not. Mom would have a meltdown. If she cuts my allowance, Violet and I will be eating instant noodles till next quarter.”

A small, reluctant chuckle escaped Marcus. “Ha… The clinical data summaries eventually go through your department anyway. How about you run some projections for me — see where our next sales focus should be?”

Julian groaned. “Come on, that’s above my pay grade. But… wait, does that mean I get to travel for work?” His eyes brightened again.

Marcus gave a short laugh through his nose. “Dream on. Business trips are for work, not sightseeing.”

“Ugh.” Julian slumped back, pouting.

“This one’s off the table,” Marcus said, half amused. “But if there’s something else you need, maybe I can help.”

Julian’s head snapped up, eyes gleaming. “Actually—yeah. There is something.”

Marcus leaned forward a little, wary but curious.

Julian smiled. “Our company’s gene therapy project — the one that just hit clinical trial phase? I was wondering if you could help get one of my friends into the study.”