LOGINXAVIER'S POV I just stood there, looking at him. This was how it always was. Ever since our mother passed, every remembrance felt like she had died all over again. The longer the years stretched on, the stronger the pain became. And Ian had done nothing but make it more painful for himself. For me.Despite being brothers from the same mother, somehow, her death had done more damage to Ian than I ever thought possible. It had broken something inside him that no amount of time could fix.I walked to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. I came back and wiped the water from his hair, my movements gentle despite the frustration boiling inside me.Ian pushed my hands away. "Get your hands off me.""Ian, you need to take a shower and eat something.""Don't tell me what the fuck to do." His voice was cold, distant. "You're not my mother.""No, I'm not." My voice snapped, the words tearing from my throat before I could stop them. "Our mother is dead! And I'm supposed to be at her memorial servic
XAVIER'S POVSeven years.The words echoed in my mind as I stood in front of the mirror, my fingers working the silk of my black tie into a knot. Seven years since the world had shifted beneath my feet. Seven years since I had held my mother's hand for the last time. Seven years since I had watched the light fade from her eyes.Only it didn't feel like seven years. It felt like yesterday. The grief still sat heavy in my chest, a permanent fixture that had carved out a space for itself and refused to leave. Some days it was manageable. Other days it was suffocating, a weight so immense that I could barely breathe.Today was one of those days.I wondered if it would ever get easier. If the pain would ever dull into something I could carry without stumbling. If the memory of her face would ever stop making my heart ache. I wondered if Ian felt the same, or if he had found a way to bury it deeper than I ever could.The reflection staring back at me looked tired. Hollowed out. A man wearin
XAVIER'S POVI stepped out of the elevator, my chest heaving, my footsteps echoing through the empty hallway as I ran toward Ian’s room. My mind was racing, a thousand different scenarios playing out in my head, each one worse than the last.Kai was already waiting by the door, his expression grim. He straightened when he saw me."Sir."I stopped, holding up a hand as I caught my breath. "What happened?"Kai hesitated, his eyes darting toward the closed door. "I think you should go in there and see for yourself."I took a step forward, my voice dropping. "Kai, I just asked you a question. What did he do this time?"He shifted uncomfortably, his jaw tightening. "He… he shot someone at the club."I blinked, the words not quite registering. "What?""We tried to get him to the hospital afterwards," Kai continued, his voice strained. "But the man…""Get to the fucking point!" I snapped.Kai exhaled, his shoulders slumping. "He died before we got there."Oh God.“I'm sorry, sir. I should've
IAN’S POVI sat in the VIP section with a mask on my face, my eyes scanning the crowd below, my fingers drumming impatiently against the leather armrest. The club was packed, bodies moving to the thrum of bass, the air thick with sweat and perfume, and the scent of desperation. I checked my watch for the third time in ten minutes."I thought you said he worked here," I muttered, my voice low and sharp. "I've been waiting for thirty minutes now, and there's no sign of him. Did you get the wrong place?"Kai shifted behind me, his voice careful. "Boss, he's right there."I turned back to the crowd, following his gaze. And then I saw him.Lucas. Grinning from ear to ear as he leaned down to serve some half-naked asshole a drink. His movements were easy, practised, like he had been doing this for years. The sight of him, so casual, so carefree, so calm around him… made my blood boil."That little bitch," I hissed, rising to my feet.But Kai blocked my path, his hand resting on my chest. "B
IAN’S POVI sat in the VIP section with a mask on my face, my eyes scanning the crowd below, my fingers drumming impatiently against the leather armrest. The club was packed, bodies moving to the thrum of bass, the air thick with sweat and perfume, and the scent of desperation. I checked my watch for the third time in ten minutes."I thought you said he worked here," I muttered, my voice low and sharp. "I've been waiting for thirty minutes now, and there's no sign of him. Did you get the wrong place?"Kai shifted behind me, his voice careful. "Boss, he's right there."I turned back to the crowd, following his gaze. And then I saw him.Lucas. Grinning from ear to ear as he leaned down to serve some half-naked asshole a drink. His movements were easy, practised, like he had been doing this for years. The sight of him, so casual, so carefree, so calm around him… made my blood boil."That little bitch," I hissed, rising to my feet.But Kai blocked my path, his hand resting on my chest. "B
DEAN'S POVI paced the length of my office, my tablet placed against the desk, my jaw clenched with frustration. The board members I had on my side were scattered across the screen, their voices a low murmur of disagreement and hesitation. I had been on this call for nearly an hour, and I was no closer to getting what I wanted."Listen," I said, my voice strained. "I need to get back on board. I need to resume my position. The company needs me. You all know that."Mr Michael was the first to respond, his voice heavy with reluctance. "Dean, it's beyond my power at this point. There's nothing I can do about it. The press conference Mrs. Weston gave was a fatal blow to your reputation. The comments the public is making about you… they're not ones that can be ignored. People are calling for your removal, and the board is listening."I stopped pacing, my grip tight around the edge of the desk. "I know what she said. I know what they're saying. But I've done so much for this company. I've p
ARIA’S POV “Hello, Aria, what’s up?”“I can’t reach him.” I paced back and forth across the living room, dragging my fingers through my hair for what felt like the hundredth time. “Zara, it’s almost midnight and he’s not picking my calls.”The silence of the penthouse pressed in on me, heavy and s
XAVIER’S POV“Siri, call my wife.”My phone lit up instantly, the familiar tone cutting through the quiet office as it dialled her number.My wife.The word still felt new… but not wrong in the way it used to when she still belonged to that asshole I call my brother.It had been two weeks since Ari
ARIA’S POV“I want a divorce.”Those were the first words that fell from my husband’s lips the moment I showed him the video… a proof of his balls deep in another woman's cunt.There was no apology, no remorse, not even an attempt to lie or give an excuse. Just those four words that are cold enough
XAVIER’S POV“Pick up. Ian, please… pick up.”I paced across my office, my phone pressed tightly to my ear as the call rang endlessly.He had to know.He had to know that child wasn’t Dean’s before he did something reckless. Before he turned this entire situation into something bloody and irreversi







