All Chapters of THE WRONG BROTHER : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Charlotte "Can we..." I hesitate. "Can we try to be friends? While I figure this out? Not roommates who ignore each other, but actual friends who talk and eat together and try to remember why we fell in love in the first place?" "Friends," he repeats, and I can hear both hope and heartbreak in that single word. "Yes. We can try that." "Thank you." I step back, needing space even as I'm grateful for his willingness to meet me where I am. "And Rhys? Thank you for not giving up. Even when I gave you every reason to." "I told you. I'm not giving up on us." His smile is sad but genuine. "Even if 'us' looks different than it used to. Even if we have to rebuild from scratch. I'm not giving up." That night, we sleep in separate rooms, I'm not ready for more than friends yet. But for the first time in a week, I don't cry myself to sleep. Instead, I lie in the dark and think about second chances. About trauma and trust and whether love can survive when it's tested this brutally. I don't h

Charlotte The next morning, I'm meeting my mother for coffee at a café near her apartment. Marcus drives me, his presence a constant reminder that I'm being watched, protected, monitored. It should feel suffocating. Instead, it feels necessary. My mother is already there when I arrive, and she lights up when she sees me. We hug, settle into a corner table, order our usual drinks. "You look better," she observes. "Not good, but better. Are you and Rhys...?" "We're working on it." I wrap my hands around my latte. "It's slow, but it's progress." "I'm glad, sweetheart. You both deserve a chance to heal from what someone did to you." We talk about her book club, about the new friends she's making in the building, about whether she should adopt a cat for company. Normal, mundane things that feel like a lifeline to reality. I'm laughing at a story about her neighbor's disastrous attempt at homemade wine when I see him. Kevin. Walking into the café like he belongs here. Like it's pur

RhysCharlotte sets down the knife, concern flickering across her face. She joins me on the couch, and I take her hands. "What's going on?" she asks. "Vertico is losing clients." The words feel heavy. "Major clients. Three in the past week, all to Anders Corporation." Her eyes widen. "Anders Corp? But they're barely staying afloat. How are they stealing your clients?" "That's what I can't figure out." I run a hand through my hair, exhaustion pulling at me. "They're offering deals we can't match, pricing that's completely unsustainable. But it's not just the pricing, Charlotte. They're approaching our clients at exactly the right moment. During renewals, during negotiations. Like they know our vulnerabilities before we even realize them ourselves." "You think someone's leaking information." "I know someone is. The timing is too precise. These aren't lucky guesses, someone inside Vertico is feeding Anders Corp our business intelligence." I stand, needing to move. "We lost Meridian

Charlotte "Bryant's CEO was apologetic. Said he had to think about his company's bottom line. That Anders' offer was too good to pass up, even knowing they might not be able to sustain those rates long-term." Rhys's voice is flat, emotionless. "That's four major clients in a week, Charlotte. Four." "I'm so sorry." "Patricia is reaching out to our other at-risk accounts now, trying to shore up relationships before Anders can approach them. But it's like playing whack-a-mole, as soon as we protect one client, another gets contacted." He pauses. "I need to go. Board meeting in ten minutes. They're going to want answers I don't have." "Call me after?" "Yeah. I'll call you after." He hangs up, and I sit there holding my phone, worry gnawing at me. Four clients lost. A leak still unidentified. And Rhys sounding more defeated than I've ever heard him. I'm about to call my mother for advice when my phone buzzes. A text from Larry. Hey sis, haven't seen you in a while. Everything okay?

Rhys"You're insane. Charlotte loves me." "Does she? Or does she love what you represent, safety, revenge, a way to hurt me?" Kevin steps closer, lowering his voice to something almost gentle. "Because Rhys, love isn't the same as using someone. And I think deep down, you know Charlotte is using you just like she used me. The only difference is, I was honest about our transaction. I told her exactly what our marriage was: business. You're pretending what you have is something more. Something real." He pauses, watching my face. "But it's not, is it? It's just another transaction. Another arrangement. Another deal where Charlotte Hayes gets what she wants and the man stupid enough to love her gets destroyed." I want to hit him again. Want to keep hitting him until he can't speak, until he can't poison my mind with his lies. But that's exactly what he wants, a reaction, proof that his venom is working. "You're pathetic," I say, my voice low and dangerous. "Spinning fantasies about C