Chapter 5

“Fuck!” Zain spat, lying on the cold ground, fingers trembling as they wiped the blood from his swollen lips. Pain radiated through his jaw, but he stayed still.

Zain’s chest tightened as he looked at Chase and felt even more sorry than he felt for himself. He was unmoving, his back pressed against the cold marble floor. His eyes were open, staring blankly upward, yet they saw nothing.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t love me the way I loved you, Adele,” Chase whispered, a bitter scoff shaking the edge of his voice.

“Chase!” Zain said softly, the anger in his voice already dissipating. “She isn't worth it, okay? You need to get yourself together.”

“You’re ‘Chase Crowdey’ the deal-sealer in business, the man who protects his family, who takes responsibility. You can’t let some girl make you go crazy! Do you understand?” Zain’s voice boomed, but Chase’s blank stare told him nothing had penetrated the haze.

Chase hadn’t been sober since the night he decided to end his marriage with Adele. He’d been high on everything, alcohol, drugs, whatever could numb the sting of her indifference.

He didn't mean to mention Hazel while speaking. He just didn't want Adele at that moment to feel tied, or sorry for him. He wanted her to be free, just as he would overhear her talking about someone, hoping for that person to love her back.

He wanted Adele to be free, to see her laugh, to hear her talk about someone she liked without guilt. He wanted her happiness, even if it wasn’t with him.

He laughed, low and bitter, as memories clawed at his chest. She had always seen him as a brother… and every flash of that innocence twisted like a knife inside him.

“Does one’s brother fuck their sister?” His face immediately hardened in anger.

“Hazel loves you. I don't understand why you drove her away. First of all you had no right because I invited her here, to my house, to take care of you. But you sent her away.”

“Then I proved to you that Adele doesn't want you. You saw her clearly leave you even in times of distress. She doesn't fucking love you. She wants your brother, Tyler.”

“Who knows what the fuck they had been doing together. He might have even fucked……”

“Don't say what I think you are about to say, Zain.” His voice was low and steady, stripped of any warmth. Every form of highness running out the window.

“Why not?” Zain huffed.

“Hazel saved you, remember? She fucking saved you while you all were still young. You were supposed to marry her to protect her dignity, but the poor girl didn't want to tie herself to you. She said something about school abroad, and you immediately let her go by sponsoring her every dream.”

“Why? Because you wanted Adele. You knew perfectly well you could say no to your parents, but you didn't object.” Zain's veins popped out at the side of his neck, eyes red-rimmed.

“Sometimes I think you fantasize about Adele being the one who helped you while you were sixteen and not Hazel.”

“YESS! Fuck it!” Chase yelled, standing up from the floor.

“Yes, I do! I wish the girl I forced myself on because I was drugged by my father's insensitive business enemies as a child, was Adele and not Hazel. Then maybe she would have no choice than to be with me forever and not fantasize over my fucking brother.” His breath increased, his eyes hardening.

“What?” Zain's eyes widened in surprise.

“You heard me, Zain. I wished Adele were the one under me that night and not Hazel.”

Zain’s hand shot out, connecting with Chase’s cheek. The sharp crack echoed in the room. “Who the fuck have you become?!” His voice trembled with disbelief, and even his own heart thudded in his chest.

“The Chase I know wouldn't say such a thing.”

Chase's face flew to the side, his head snapping and ringing loudly.

“You are right?” He finally said after long minutes of silence. “I am high as fuck!” Chase said and grabbed his coat from the chair. While wearing it, he looked straight at Zain. “This stays between the both of us.” He said with a stern voice and started to walk away.

“Where the hell are you going, Chase?” Zain yelled from behind.

“To make it right, yeah!” He said and made his way out while Zain watched him with perplexity.

---

Hazel stood in the bustling set of Luminara Studios, her designer heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. Her perfectly coiffed hair barely moved, but her glare could slice through steel.

She had travelled abroad and became a star actress. Everyone wanted to work with her. Her ability to act was beyond creative, and to top it, she was extremely beautiful.

A young production assistant had just stumbled, sending a cup of steaming tea splashing across Hazel’s white blouse. The assistant froze, mortified.

“What the F!” She yelled.

“You are finished.”

“Do you know who I am?!” Hazel’s voice cut through the studio like a whip. Her hands trembled, and her heels scraped sharply against the floor as the assistant froze, staring at her in terror.

“You… you are going to get fired, do you hear me? Fired!”

The assistant’s face went pale, eyes darting around desperately. Hazel’s yelling seemed endless, echoing off the high ceilings.

Then, someone leaned close and whispered softly in her ear. Hazel’s sharp tone faltered.

The yelling stopped. She adjusted her blouse, took a slow breath, and turned her cold, piercing gaze toward the assistant. “Next time… think before you move.”

Hazel spun around, heart skipping. “Chase,” she said. He stood in the doorway, casual but impossibly commanding. He had the kind of aura that had always made her go crazy.

Her assistant’s warning had come just in time. He had never seen this devilish side of her, and he would never see it.

“Didn't expect to see you here at this hour after what you pulled.”

Her forehead creased. He had yelled at her to leave that night after she called him sweetly to come have his bath. All because of that boyfriend snatcher. She thought with a burning feeling of anger.

“I’m sorry, Hazel,” Chase said, his voice warm and steady, the rise and fall of his chest betraying a quiet tension. Hazel felt a familiar pull in her chest, her defences crumbling. She had loved him for as long as she could remember, ever since their families became friends, ever since he had been there, always just out of reach.

She wouldn't let that bitch easily claim him. Even though she once did, she was here to break everything, thank God she had something pinned on Chase. He would definitely take responsibility.

“I forgive you,” Hazel said, pouting slightly, her eyes trying to soften him.

“Don’t,” Chase snapped, his tone slicing through her playful act. The

tension hung between them, thick and electric, as if the next move could ignite everything.