All Chapters of My Swimmer Stepbrother's Forbidden Claim: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Winter came early that year, bringing snow in late October. Riley stood at her office window, watching the flakes fall, thinking about how much had changed in the eight years since she'd first met Samuel. Eight years since that pool deck, that terrified moment when her world had shifted. Now she was thirty-five, mother of two, Alpha's mate, successful author and media entrepreneur. A life she'd never imagined possible. "You're being contemplative again," Diana said from the doorway. "Just thinking about time. How fast it moves." "That's very philosophical for a Tuesday morning." Riley smiled. "I'm allowed to be philosophical occasionally." "Occasionally, sure. But you've been staring out that window for twenty minutes. Everything okay?" "Everything's fine. Just... reflective." Diana left her alone, and Riley returned to her thoughts. She'd been feeling it more lately. The passage of time. Selene was nine now, growing independent and opinionated. Isaac was three and

The scandal broke on a Tuesday morning in October.Riley was feeding Stella when her phone started exploding with notifications. Messages, emails, calls, all coming in simultaneously.She opened the first message from Diana."Have you seen the headlines? Call me ASAP."Riley pulled up the news with one hand while Stella nursed.Her heart stopped."ALPHA SAMUEL ARMANI ACCUSED OF FAVORITISM AND CORRUPTION" read the headline from a major pack news outlet.The article detailed allegations that Samuel had been awarding pack contracts to friends and family members, specifically mentioning Riley's foundation and Pack Truth as beneficiaries of preferential treatment."What the hell?" Riley muttered.She kept reading. The accusations came from a former pack council member, Douglas Chen, who claimed Samuel had pressured him to approve funding for the Tiara Moore Foundation despite concerns about financial oversight."This is ridiculous," Riley said to Stella, who continued nursing, unbothered.

Selene turned fourteen in July, and Riley felt the shift in their relationship like tectonic plates moving.Her daughter was no longer a child. Not quite an adult either, but somewhere in that uncomfortable in-between where everything felt too big and too small simultaneously."I want to go to the movies with Maya and some friends," Selene said one Saturday. "Without parents.""Who are these friends?""Just people from school. You don't know them.""That's exactly why I need to know them.""Mom, I'm fourteen. I can go to the movies without supervision."Riley looked at Samuel for backup."She's fourteen," he said unhelpfully."You're supposed to be on my side.""I am on your side. I'm also recognizing that our daughter is growing up.""She's a baby.""I'm literally taller than you now," Selene pointed out.This was true. Selene had shot up over the past year, now standing at five-foot-seven to Riley's five-foot-six."Fine. You can go to the movies. But I'm driving you there and pickin

Nora moved in with them three months after Max died.It wasn't planned. But she couldn't bear living alone in the house she'd shared with Max for four decades, and Riley couldn't bear the thought of her rattling around in all that empty space."It's temporary," Nora insisted. "Just until I figure out what's next.""Stay as long as you need," Riley said."Are you sure? You already have four kids. You don't need an elderly widow too.""You're not elderly. You're sixty-four. And you're family."So Nora moved into the guest room. Brought minimal belongings, unable to face sorting through decades of accumulated life yet."We'll do it when you're ready," Samuel told her."I'm never going to be ready.""Then we'll do it when you're less not-ready."Having Nora in the house changed the dynamics. She helped with the kids, which Riley desperately needed. But she also needed support herself, grief hitting in unexpected waves.Riley would find her crying in the laundry room, or staring blankly at

The phone call came at two in the morning on a Tuesday in January. Riley fumbled for her phone, heart already racing. Nothing good ever came from calls at 2 AM. "Hello?" "Riley, it's Sarah." Her friend's voice was shaking. "I'm at the hospital. Lysander was in a car accident." Riley sat up instantly. "Is he okay?" "I don't know. They won't tell me anything yet. He's in surgery. Riley, I'm scared." "I'm coming. Give me twenty minutes." Samuel was already awake. "What happened?" "Lysander's been in an accident. I need to go to the hospital." "I'll come with you." "Someone needs to stay with the kids." "Then I'll call my mom. Riley, you're not going alone." Nora arrived within fifteen minutes, still in her pajamas. By the time they reached the hospital, Sarah was in the waiting room looking small and terrified. "Any news?" Riley asked, pulling her into a hug. "He's still in surgery. They said something about internal bleeding. Riley, what if—" "Don't. Don't go there yet."