Chapter 4

Genevieve’s POV

Before my palm could connect with his face, Elijah caught my wrist.

His grip was firm, and his expression turned dangerously cold. “Don’t ever raise your hand at me again.”

I glared at him, refusing to show how much his reaction had startled me. “Then stop talking to me like I’m worthless.”

“Perhaps you should stop behaving like someone who has never heard the truth.”

My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

I tried to pull my hand free, but he held it for another second before releasing me.

I rubbed my wrist and glared at him. “You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re homeless. Shall we continue exchanging insults, or would you prefer to come inside?”

I wanted to slap him again. But unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong.

I had nowhere else to go. Everything I owned, including the clothes in my wardrobe and the roof over my head, had been provided by my father. The only thing that was technically mine was a trust fund he had signed over to me years ago.

I wasn’t about to tell Elijah about it. Especially not after he had practically called me useless.

“Fine,” I muttered, walking past him into the penthouse.

“That’s better.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” I heard him chuckle behind me.

I hated that sound already.

After finding the guest bathroom, I freshened up and changed into a comfortable outfit. I stared at my reflection for a moment, adjusting my glasses before leaving the bathroom.

I needed to get myself together.

I had lost my inheritance, been imprisoned by my own father, and agreed to marry the most dangerous rival my family had ever had.

And somehow, I was now living under the same roof as him.

Wonderful.

When I returned to the living room, Elijah was standing beside the windows with his phone pressed to his ear.

“Have the documents sent to my office before noon tomorrow,” he said. “And tell the board I want the updated figures before our meeting. I don’t care if they have to work through the night.”

He paused, listening.

“No. My decision stands.” He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.

I crossed my arms. “Do you ever stop giving orders?”

He glanced at me. “Do you ever stop asking unnecessary questions?”

I rolled my eyes. “I was simply wondering whether everyone who works for you hates you.”

“Only the incompetent ones.”

I shook my head and walked closer to him. “There’s something I want to know.”

“I’m listening.”

“Are all your companies owned by you alone?”

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “Why?”

“Just answer the question, Elijah.”

“Yes. All of them are mine.”

I studied his face. “Then why does everyone refer to your business as Harrington Holdings?”

“Because the public is more interested in surnames than facts.”

I frowned.

He continued, “My companies operate under the name Eli Group. I built the group myself, and I own it. It isn’t a subsidiary of Harrington Holdings, and my father has no authority over its operations.”

“So the entire business world has been calling your companies Harrington Holdings when they actually belong to Eli Group?”

“More or less.”

I couldn’t decide whether to admire his confidence or find it irritating.

Probably both.

“But why didn’t you join your family’s business in the first place?” I asked. “You could have inherited a fortune without building everything from scratch.”

His expression changed. It was subtle, but I noticed it.

For a moment, he looked as though he was considering whether to answer me.

Then his face returned to its usual unreadable state. “Are you planning to interrogate me all night, or can we discuss something useful?”

I stared at him for several seconds before giving up. “Fine. What do you want to discuss?”

“Our fake marriage contract.” He walked toward the living room sofa and gestured for me to sit.

“Now that we’ve announced our engagement, we need to establish the terms of this arrangement before either of us makes a mistake.”

I sat opposite him. “Agreed.”

“Tell me what you want.”

I didn’t need to think about it. “I want your help destroying my father’s empire. I want Beaumont Holdings to lose the power my father has used to control my life. I want him to understand that he cannot discard me and expect me to crawl back to him.”

“And what do I get in return?”

I leaned forward. “I can give you information that could put Eli Group far ahead of both Beaumont Holdings and Harrington Holdings.”

He watched me quietly then he shook his head. “That’s not what I want.”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“What I need is access to your father. His files. His call logs. His past interactions. His investments. Anything that could reveal what he’s been hiding.”

I stared at him, struggling to understand. “Why?”

“Because I have reason to believe your father and mine were both involved in my mother’s death twenty years ago.”

For several seconds, I couldn’t speak. “What?” I shook my head. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Our families have hated each other for generations. Do you honestly expect me to believe they joined hands to do something like that?”

“I’m not asking you to believe me. I’m telling you what I’ve discovered.”

I stared at him, trying to reconcile his words with everything I had known about our families.

The Beaumonts had dominated the business industry for decades. My grandfather had built the foundation of our empire, and my father had spent years expanding it. We had swallowed smaller companies, outmaneuvered competitors, and crushed anyone foolish enough to challenge us.

Then Elijah’s father had arrived.

In just five years, he had reinvented Harrington Holdings and snatched the top position from the Beaumonts.

Since then, our families had fought relentlessly for dominance, sharing the top spot while trying to push the other down.

And when Elijah built Eli Group into another business powerhouse, the Harrington name became even more influential.

Our rivalry wasn’t merely business competition. It was practically a tradition.

My family, including me, had developed countless strategies to overtake the Harringtons.

And now Elijah was telling me our fathers might have worked together?

I shook my head again. “I find that difficult to believe.”

“You don’t have to believe it. Just give me what I want.”

I looked away, my thoughts racing.