All Chapters of THE WRONG BROTHER : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Charlotte My stomach drops. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying maybe I've been looking in the wrong places." He sets down his glass. "Maybe the person betraying me is someone with access to everything. Someone who knows my schedule, my clients, my vulnerabilities. Someone who had every reason to want to hurt me when we first met." "You think I'm the leak." The words come out flat, disbelieving. "I think it's an interesting coincidence that Anders Corp started stealing clients right around the time you and I got serious. Right around the time you had full access to my life." "That's insane. Rhys, I would never..." "Wouldn't you? You came to me for revenge, Charlotte. You used me to destroy Kevin at his wedding. Maybe you're still using me. Maybe this whole thing, us, the relationship, the moving in together, maybe it's all just part of your plan." "What plan? Rhys, you're not making sense..." "Kevin thinks you still love him." The words come out harsh, cutting. "He thinks you'r

Charlotte I shrink down in my seat, pulling my wet hair across my face to hide. From this angle, partially obscured by the support beam and the dim lighting, they shouldn't be able to see me. I watch as Kevin slides into the booth next to Larry. No greeting. No pleasantries. Just Kevin setting the briefcase on the table between them. "Everything's here," Kevin says, his voice low but still audible over the music. "Half now, half when it's done." The scarred man opens the briefcase. Even from here, I can see the stacks of cash inside. "And you're sure this will work?" Larry asks, his voice tight with nerves. "It's already working," Kevin replies. "Van Allen is paranoid, his company is bleeding, and best of all..." He smiles, cold and cruel. "He's starting to doubt Charlotte. By the time we're done, he'll think she was in on it from the beginning." My stomach turns to lead. "I don't like using my sister," Larry mutters. "Half-sister," Kevin corrects. "And you should have though

RhysI stare at the phone, my jaw clenching. So Charlotte is playing games now. Making her mother worry to make me feel guilty. Making it look like something is wrong so I'll come running back, apologizing, begging for forgiveness. It's manipulative. Classic narcissist behavior, create a crisis, make yourself the victim, force people to focus on you. I delete the voicemail without calling back. If Charlotte wants to play games, fine. But I'm not participating. Patricia arrives at 7:30, looking surprised to see me. "You're here early." "Couldn't sleep." I don't elaborate. She sets her bag down, studying me with concern. "Rhys, are you okay? You look..." "I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind." I pull up the client retention strategy we've been working on. "Let's focus on Davenport Industries. If we can keep them, it'll send a message to the other clients that we're stable." "Okay." She sits down slowly, still watching me carefully. "But Rhys, if you need to talk about anything..."

RhysThe pieces click together in my mind with sickening clarity. The leaks. The way Anders Enterprise always seemed one step ahead. The clients we kept losing. Larry. It was Larry all along. And Charlotte... My chest constricts as the full weight of it crashes over me. Charlotte had no idea. She couldn't have known. She brought him to me in good faith, believing he was her brother, believing he deserved a chance. And I accused her of being part of it. God, what have I done? "Is he here now?" Chen asks. "We need to speak with him immediately." "I... I don't know. Let me check." I pull out my phone, hands shaking slightly as I call Marcus. "I need you to locate Larry Hayes. Tell me if he's in the building." There's typing on Marcus's end. "Checking the badge logs now... Boss, Larry badged out yesterday at 6:47 PM. He hasn't been back since." Yesterday evening. Before Charlotte left my apartment. Before she went missing. "He's not here," I tell the detectives, my voice hollo

Charlotte "I can see it on your face," Kevin says, delighted. "That moment when you realize no one's coming to save you. It's beautiful, really. Poetic even. The woman who walked away from me thinking she'd won, ending up right back where she belongs. At my mercy." "I will never be at your mercy." I force the words out through gritted teeth. "And Rhys will figure it out. He's smarter than you. He'll realize what you're doing and he'll stop you." "Will he? Because from where I'm standing, Rhys Van Allen is too busy being paranoid and angry to think clearly. Too busy suspecting everyone around him to see the real threat." Kevin straightens. "Besides, even if he does figure it out eventually, it'll be too late. By the time he realizes you're missing for real, by the time he decides to look for you..." He trails off, letting the implication hang in the air. By the time Rhys looks for me, I could be dead. Larry shifts uncomfortably, looking away. He hasn't said a word since they came