Semua Bab Mated to My Ex's Brother: Bab 1 - Bab 9

The door was still closed between us, but his scent slipped through—warm cedar, sweet citrus, and just a trace of trouble. My fingers curled around the doorknob, pulse annoyingly loud in my ears.“Excuse me?” I finally said, still behind the door. “Did you just say you bought the building?”“I did,” Jaxon replied easily, as if we were discussing the weather. “Whole block, actually. Was a good deal. I had no idea you lived here until the sale closed this morning. Bit of a surprise.”I opened the door just enough to see his face.He leaned against the frame, whiskey bottle in hand, looking like every girl's bad decision in a thousand-dollar suit. His hair was tousled in that deliberate, I-don't-care-but-I-clearly-do kind of way. His smirk was just as irritating as I remembered.Of course he had to show up today.“Are you seriously here to rub that in?” I asked.“Not at all. I’m here to give you this.” He held up the bottle, wiggled it slightly. “And maybe offer you a rent discount if yo

If someone had told me a month ago that I’d be sharing an apartment with Jaxon Black—the younger brother of my emotionally distant ex-husband—I would’ve laughed and then probably cried. But now, as I stood in my kitchen in pajamas while both brothers faced off like rival Alphas in my living room, I wasn’t laughing.I was too busy wondering how fast I could pack up and flee the country.“You can’t be serious,” I said, glaring between them. “You two can’t even exist in the same ten-foot radius without puffing your chests. How am I supposed to live with either of you?”Cyrus folded his arms, perfectly composed again, like the outburst from earlier never happened. “I’m not here to play games. This affects the trial. If the council finds out you’re living with Jaxon—”“You mean if they find out I’m not under your thumb anymore?” I interrupted. “That I’m actually breathing on my own for once?”Jaxon leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she doesn’t fain

The kitchen smelled like toast and regret.I stared at Mia’s note for the hundredth time, hoping new words would magically appear. Something like “just kidding,” or “here’s a safe address,” or maybe “don’t worry, I’m actually a spy and totally in control.”But no. Just those short, scared sentences in looping handwriting that tugged too hard at something inside me.“She’s smart,” Jaxon said from the doorway, arms crossed. “Covered her tracks. I’ve called two shelters and three youth centers. Nothing.”“She’s a kid,” I muttered. “She shouldn’t have to be smart like that.”Jaxon leaned against the counter, his brow furrowed like he wanted to punch a wall but knew better than to scare me. “I don’t think she left because of us. I think someone pushed her.”“I know,” I said quietly. “Which is why I need to do something before I lose my mind.”“You want to find her?”“Yes, but…” I paused, glancing down at the envelope that had arrived that morning. “I also need to find me.”He raised a brow

The picture was still lying on the counter.My old wedding photo—ripped clean through Cyrus’s body. My face circled in red like a target.I kept staring at it, waiting for something inside me to break.But it didn’t.Instead, I felt cold. Sharp. Focused in a way that scared even me.Jaxon picked up the torn photo and examined it like it might whisper its secrets out loud. “They didn’t take anything,” he murmured. “They wanted you to find this. That’s the point.”“Cyrus?”“I don’t think he’d be this subtle.” He looked at me. “This isn’t his style. He’s more… theatrical. Petty. This? It’s calculated.”I leaned back against the fridge, arms crossed tight. “So someone broke into our house to leave me a message?”“Looks like it.”My throat felt dry. “And now they k