Chapter 33

Kane’s POV

“Adrian?”

“Yes, sir.” Mrs. Matilda’s voice was laced with disgust, the name leaving her mouth as though she were spitting out venom.

“All right. You can leave,” I ordered, turning toward the living room.

Before I even reached the entrance, the quiet hall carried the sickening sounds of low laughter and heavy, wet kissing.

Then I saw them.

Adrian was lounging on the couch with Claudia pressed so tightly against his side they looked glued together. They were leaning in for another kiss when I cleared my throat sharply.

The sound struck like a whip, and they scrambled apart instantly, breathless.

“You’re back early?” Claudia stammered, standing up and frantically smoothing out her rumpled dress.

“I live here, don’t I?” I replied, my voice laced with heavy sarcasm as my eyes slowly scanned them from head to toe. Claudia’s lipstick was smeared at the edges, and Adrian was sporting a fresh, reddish hickey on his neck. “Or am I no longer welcome in my own home?”

“You’re always welcome, my love,” Claudia said with a forced, fluttering smile. She took a step toward me to wrap her arms around my waist, but I pinned her with a glare so hard she froze in her tracks.

I turned my gaze to my brother. “What are you doing here, Adrian?”

Adrian leaned back onto the cushions, acting completely unbothered, though his arrogant smile didn't mask the tension in his shoulders. “Relax, brother. I just came by to check in on Claudia, my dear sister-in-law.” He let out a dry chuckle.

“Sister-in-law?” I arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah. The only family member I have left who actually cares about me.” Adrian flashed a deliberate wink at Claudia, who let out a high-pitched, awkward giggle.

“Mm. The last time I checked, I never gave you permission to step foot on my property,” I said, my voice unnervingly calm, like the eye of a storm.

Adrian’s smug smile faltered slightly. He clearly expected me to fly into a rage. “Come on, brother. I wasn't threatening you back at the office. I was merely expressing my displeasure at how you treat me. After all, I’m human too, Your Majesty.”

“Do not call me that,” I growled through clenched teeth.

His jaw tightened, a dangerous flick of resentment flashing in his eyes. “Fine.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Like I said, I came here because Claudia is the only family who actually gives a damn about me.” He cast a quick glance up at her and added teasingly, “Unless that’s forbidden now, mighty brother? Am I not allowed to visit my own sister-in-law?”

I said nothing. The air in the grand room thinned, heavy with unspoken tension, until Claudia couldn't take the silence anymore.

“You two, stop it!” she pleaded nervously.

As she spoke, my gaze drifted across the glass coffee table between them. Sitting right next to her wine glass was a small, white bottle of pills.

My pulse spiked. ‘Is that not the supplement medication Claudia has been making me take every morning?’

Why was it sitting right in front of Adrian? Had she been receiving those pills directly from him all along? A hundred terrifying possibilities raced through my mind, but I kept my face expressionless.

“So tell me,” I said, bringing my eyes back to meet Claudia’s panicked ones. “What exactly were you two discussing that required you sitting so close to your brother in law, that your clothes got all wrinkled and your neck littered with hickeys?”

“I got bit by an insect!” Claudia blurted out, while subconsciously checking her body for marks which weren't there.

“And he was checking it out for you? Because he's a doctor?” I asked sarcastically.

“Yes, he was nice to check it for me….” She caught my sarcasm late. “Kane what are you implying?”

“You tell me.” I pressed, stepping closer. “What exactly is going on between you two? Why you are entertaining a man in my house when you're barely dressed, knowing he's not welcome here?” I threw in that last question intentionally, wanting to watch them squirm, wanting them to feel a fraction of the rage and humiliation suffocating me.

Adrian’s arrogant smirk vanished completely. He stood up, towering over the coffee table. “Kane! What disgusting rubbish are you accusing us of? That we’re having an affair?”

Claudia quickly shuffled between us, putting her hands out.

“Aren’t you?” I asked, keeping my tone coldly bored.

Claudia looked back at me, her eyes glossy with the terror of a guilty woman, though she quickly tried to mask it with righteous anger. “Kane, will you stop this nonsense?! He's family for Christ sake!”

Adrian scoffed loudly. “No, babe….”

He cut himself off mid-word, his jaw snapping shut as the slip echoed silently through the room. He cleared his throat frantically, pulling at his collar. “I mean Claudia, you don’t need to explain anything to him. Your husband is just being the asshole he always is.”

“Babe?” I chuckled, letting the word slice through the silence. “Did I hear you correctly?”

Adrian swallowed hard, avoiding my gaze. “I said Claudia. God, you’re bloody paranoid! You really don’t believe anyone can have genuine motives, do you? Not everyone hates me just because you think you’re God’s gift to this family. And don’t you dare slander your own wife. Claudia is a good, virtuous woman, Kane. Have some respect.”

Claudia rushed up to me, pressing her hands against my chest. “Kane, please! Listen to yourself! Why are you acting like a crazy person?”

“I just heard him call you babe,” I sneered at her.

“You must be imagining things, because he never said that!” she cried desperately, her fingers clutching at my shirt. “Babe, please.”

“Imagining things?” I glared at her hands on my chest with so much disgust that she pulled them back as if scorched by fire.

“Adrian only came by to talk about the argument at the office, that’s all!” she lied, her voice pitching into an unstable screech. “And honestly, Kane, the way you treat your own blood is disgusting! All that’s left of the Ravellos is you and him. Can’t we all just live in peace? You’re brothers! Family! That is not how families treat each other!”

‘Now you want to lecture me on how to treat my family?’ I thought, my stomach churning with pure disgust. ‘You should have thought about family before you let my brother lay hands on you.’

The agonizing memory of the conversation I had overheard months ago flashed back, their hushed promises, their soft, sweet declarations of love that made my skin crawl now that I remembered again.

“All right, I'm going upstairs to shower.” I breathed out, forcing my hands to remain steady.

“Okay baby.” I heard Claudia released a subtle sigh of relief, thinking she had managed to cool my temper.

“And you…” I turned my head toward Adrian. “Make sure you’re off my property, before I get back.”

Adrian’s expression hardened into a bitter scowl. “Kane… what is that supposed to mean? Are you threatening me?”

“Stay and find out,” I replied smoothly.

Claudia grabbed my arm as I turned. “Kane…”

I yanked my arm free without another word and headed toward the grand staircase.

“Baby!” she called desperately after me.

I paused on the third step for half a second, my jaw tight, then continued walking without turning back.

I reached the master bedroom, pushed inside, and slammed my door shut. The moment the lock clicked, the rage I had been suppressing let loose.

I ripped off my tie and hurled it into the corner. Walking over to the bar cart, I poured a generous amount of whiskey into a glass and downed it in one agonizing gulp.

It didn't touch the burn in my throat. Nothing could.

I sat on the edge of the mattress, resting my elbows on my knees as I stared blankly at the wall.

Seconds later, soft footsteps approached down the hallway, followed by a gentle knock on the door.

“Kane? Are you in there? We need to talk about your temper, how harshly you treated your brother.”

I didn't answer.

“Kane, please open the door.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath.

“Open the door!”

“Leave!” I spat, my voice barely above a whisper, yet lethal enough to freeze blood.

“Baby….”

“Leave, Claudia!!”

Silence fell over the corridor. A few agonizing seconds passed before I heard her heels retreat down the hall.

I stared down at the glass in my hand, my knuckles turning stark white, and smashed it against the far wall. The sharp sound of breaking glass offered zero relief.

All I had ever wanted was to build a real family. One I could love, protect, and cherish with everything I had. And now? I had nothing. Just a traitor for a brother and a lying slut for a wife.

Buzz… Buzz…

My phone vibrated violently against the nightstand. I reached over and swiped it up, pressing it to my ear.

“Hello, boss,” Richard’s voice came through the speaker.

“Richard,” I answered, my voice rough and hollow.

“I have the final papers drafted and ready, sir. I’ll have them couriered to you tomorrow morning.”

“Good,” I mumbled into the dark room.

I ended the call, staring up at the ceiling as the finality of tomorrow settled in.