All Chapters of Craving The Wrong Brother: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

For one uncomfortable second, I don’t have an answer. I stare at a point on Hunter’s desk that’s safe and blank and lifeless—anything to avoid the smirk in his eyes. In the silence, my brain replays the conversation I had with Knox last Friday. I remember challenging him on it. Accusing him of jumping to conclusions because of his own guilt or past or whatever he refused to put into words. And now I’m about to use the exact same logic on Hunter. I straighten in my chair, forcing the words out. “You never know what’s running through the mind of a victim.” “A victim?” he says. “Of what?” I sigh. “Hunter, I really appreciate the offer. But until I know Mateo isn’t crazy, I can’t accept the promotion.” “You’re kidding me, right? I put your name forward, and you’re going to make me retract my recommendation? What has a promotion got to do with anything? Is your new office going to be rigged with a bomb? Or does being top staff make you more susceptible to assassination? This is Knox

I don’t respond at first. Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I’m chewing on the oddity of it. My first real encounter with my girlfriend's father is at my club of all places. A part of me considers slipping out, maybe grabbing my coat, my keys, and heading to the reception. I could offer to take him somewhere more neutral, somewhere polished and quiet with real napkins and overpriced steak, someplace that isn’t soaked in sweat and bourbon. But if Jade’s description of the man’s mood is even half true, Daniel Mercer isn’t here for small talk and cutlery. I glance at the corner of the room where the plush alien toy is still slumped on the couch and then back to Jade. “Let him in,” I say. “Keep it discreet.” Jade nods. He knows what that means. No strippers on poles between here and the entrance. None of the shirtless dancers or the neon signs that flash Deep Dive Fridays down the hallway. The clean path, the corporate face of the club. Just in case Daniel’s carryin

The way Mateo's looking at me now makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. I can tell he sees the shift in my mood. He’s watching me put all of it together. “Why did you come, Hunter?” he finally says. “It certainly wasn't to harass my guest.” I lean forward. Might as well go straight to the point. “I came to ask you a question. And you can only answer it correctly.” “What question is that?” “You know what.” “I don’t,” he says, voice smooth. “Please tell me.” I grit my teeth. “Don’t play games with me. Did you or did you not seek me out specifically because I’m connected to Knox? And then you bought into a company where Knox’s girlfriend works. What is your plan here?” The warmth vanishes from his face so fast it’s like someone flipped a switch. When he speaks again, his voice is colder. “Have you ever been betrayed by someone you trusted, Hunter?” “What’s that got to do with anything? Everyone’s been betrayed.” “I’m sure you have. You stopped speaking to your best frien

Everything blurred after that. My mother was the one who rushed her to the hospital. Dad wasn't home, and neither was Finn. By evening, Mom came back alone. “She didn’t make it,” she said. That night, Dad came to my room. He didn’t knock. Just walked in and closed the door behind him. “After your graduation,” he said with tears in his eyes, “you’re going to leave. You’ll enlist. And I’ll pull every string I have to make sure they send you somewhere harsh. Somewhere that’ll chew you up and spit you out. Maybe then you’ll learn what it means to destroy someone.” He paused. “If you don’t agree to that right now, I’ll call the police. I’ll tell them what you did. And I won’t lift a finger to help you. No lawyer. Nothing. You're on your own.” What was the point in defending myself when they'd already made up their minds? I didn't want to be in the house anyway, because I’d kill Finn. After that night, I was barely ever home. I stayed out until long past midnight, wandering nowhere,

Lydia doesn’t answer. And that silence—God, that silence is enough. “You kept quiet because you wanted to protect Finn, didn't you?” I take a slow step forward. “One word from you would have fixed everything.” I let the words sink in. “One word. I was the only one who gave a damn about you in that house. I fucking mourned your death for the past twelve years. I lit candles for you in countries I couldn’t even pronounce because I thought I failed you. My father sent me away because of you. Do you have any idea what I went through? What it felt like waking up every day and believing I could’ve saved you if I had just—just been there?” I look at my mother. She’s crying again. Not that I care anymore. “And you,” I say, jaw tight. “You knew she was alive and kept up the charade. Even to your own husband. That has to be the coldest, most inhumane thing you’ve ever done.” “Knox—” “No.” I raise my voice just enough to silence hers. “I want you all to keep quiet and listen to me. You’