บททั้งหมดของ Falling for the CEO'S brother : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Elise's povThe car ride was quiet but not uncomfortable. Sebastian kept one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my thigh, his thumb tracing lazy circles that made it hard to concentrate on anything else. I kept stealing glances at him, trying to figure out what he had planned."You're staring," he said without looking away from the road."I'm trying to guess where we're going.""Any theories?""Based on the lingerie you made me wear, somewhere private."His lips curved into that dangerous smile. "Smart girl."We pulled up to Club Viper and my stomach did a nervous flip. I had been here before but something about tonight felt different. It felt intentional and serious.Sebastian handed his keys to the valet and came around to open my door. His hand found the small of my back as he guided me inside, past the main entrance where the regular crowd gathered, down a hallway I hadn't noticed before."Where are we going?" I asked."Somewhere we can talk without interruption."He stopp

Sebastian’s povI kept my hand on Elise's lower back as we left the private room, guiding her through the dimly lit hallways of Club Viper. She was quiet, still processing everything from our conversation. Good. I wanted her thinking about us, about what we could be together and how I made her feel.What I didn't want was for her to notice the security measures I had quietly put in place. The extra guards at every exit. The cameras that tracked our movement. Leonardo stationed near the main entrance with his hand never far from his concealed weapon.Someone was watching her and until I knew who and why, I wasn't taking any chances.We were almost to the exit when Elise suddenly stopped walking. Her entire body went rigid under my hand."What's wrong?" I asked, immediately scanning the area for threats."That man." Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "Over there by the bar."I followed her gaze and felt my jaw clench. Lucien Grey stood near the main floor bar, a glass of expensi

Elise's povSunlight streamed through the floor to ceiling windows when I opened my eyes. For a moment I forgot where I was, disoriented by the unfamiliar weight of expensive sheets and the faint smell of Sebastian's cologne on the pillow next to mine.Then it all came rushing back. The club. The conversation. The way his hands felt on my skin. The promises he made that left me aching and confused.I sat up and realized I was alone in the massive bed. The space beside me was cold, which meant Sebastian had been up for a while. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and saw it was almost nine in the morning.Three missed calls from Olive. Two texts from Marcus. One from an unknown number that just said "watching."My stomach dropped at that last one. I stared at it for a long moment before deciding it had to be spam. Just some random creep sending messages to wrong numbers. Nothing to worry about.I deleted it and climbed out of bed.Sebastian's shirt hung to my thighs as I padded bare

Elise's povI stared at the photo on my phone for the tenth time that morning. Me, asleep in Sebastian's bed, taken from inside the penthouse. The message underneath made my skin crawl.Unknown: Tell Sebastian we need to talk. Or next time the photos will be more personal.I should have shown it to Sebastian immediately and told him the moment I received it. But he had already left for his meeting with Leonardo and something about the message made me hesitate.They wanted Sebastian. They were using me to get to him and if I told him, if he knew how close they had gotten, what would he do?My phone buzzed with another text, this one from Marcus.Marcus: Please, Elise. Just one coffee. I promise it won't take long. I owe you a pumpkin spice latte anyway.The pumpkin spice latte. He remembered. That conversation on the plane back from LA felt like a lifetime ago, back when I still thought Marcus might choose me, back before Sebastian turned my entire world upside down.I shouldn't go. Se

Elise's povThe documents on Sebastian's screen showed a timeline. Dates, locations, and transactions all leading to one conclusion.Victoria and Castellano were planning a hostile takeover of Grey Tech just like I said and it was happening in less than two weeks."I don't understand," I said, staring at the numbers and legal jargon. "How can they take over the company? Marcus owns the majority share.""Not anymore." Sebastian pointed to a series of stock transfers. "Over the past six months, someone has been quietly buying up shares through various shell companies. Small amounts that wouldn't raise red flags individually but together they add up to nearly forty percent of the company.""And let me guess. Those shell companies all trace back to Castellano.""Bingo. If they can get just eleven percent more, they'll have controlling interest. They can vote Marcus out as CEO and install whoever they want."My mind raced. "Victoria's father bought thirty percent. That's what she said when