Semua Bab My Ex-Boyfriend is my New Step-Brother: Bab 71 - Bab 79

The basement of the valley house was colder than the morgue. Roman sat on the edge of the cot, his laptop glowing like a sick eye in the dark. I wasn't there, but I could feel the weight of the air he was breathing. Silas had told me everything when he brought me my morning tea."He found it," Silas whispered, leaning over my bed to adjust the tray. "The boy found the ghost in the machine.""What ghost?" I asked. I sat up, my heart hitting my ribs like a hammer."The money Marcus used to pay off the girl three years ago," Silas said. Roman found the wire transfer. It didn't come from a bank. It came from a shell company called Blue Ivy Holdings.""Is that enough?" I asked."No," Silas said. He looked at the door, then back at me. "It’s just a number. It doesn't have Marcus's name on it. It’s a trail that stops at a brick wall."Inside the valley house, Roman was staring at that same brick wall. The Stalker’s voice came through the vent, thin and sharp."You're looking at the wrong doo

“I’m starting to get pissed with this fake relationship.” I whisperedThe studio lights were hot enough to cook skin. I stood on the red carpet, my feet screaming in six-inch heels. Jax had his arm wrapped around my waist. His thumb kept rubbing against my ribs, a constant, annoying pressure. Cameras flashed like lightning, blinding me every second."Smile, Scarlett," Chloe hissed from the sidelines. She was gesturing at her own face, stretching her mouth into a fake grin. "Look like you love him. The investors are watching the live feed.""I can't breathe, Chloe," I said through my teeth. I didn't let my lips stop moving in a smile. "The corset is too tight. Jax smells like gin.""Deal with it," Chloe snapped. She stepped closer, pretending to fix my hair while she whispered in my ear. "If you look miserable, the stock drops. If the stock drops, Marcus gets angry. You know what happens when he’s angry.""Hey, baby," Jax said. He leaned in, his breath hot against my neck. "Look at the

The room was pitch black, except for the tiny blue light on the floor. I was on my stomach, my face pressed against the cold hardwood. I had pulled the laptop from under the mattress—the one Silas had smuggled in days ago. The earbud was still in. It felt like a bug crawling in my ear, buzzing with static."The guards just swapped, Scarlett," Roman’s voice was a sharp whisper. "You have twenty minutes before Harris does the hallway sweep. Open the browser. Type in the IP I gave you. We have to do this tonight because Silas said Marcus is moving the server keys to the vault tomorrow. If we don't get in now, the door stays shut forever.""I'm typing," I whispered. My fingers were slick with sweat. I hit the keys. Tap. Tap. Tap. "It’s asking for a secondary bypass. Roman, it says 'Biometric Required.' It wants a thumbprint.""Shit," Roman growled. I heard something slam on his end. "He locked the gate. He’s using the thumbprint sensor from his phone to bridge the login. He’s being carefu

The breakfast table was a desert. Usually, Lydia would be humming or checking her garden magazines, but today she sat like a stone. Her hands were folded over her silk napkin, knuckles white. Marcus sat at the head of the table, his presence filling the room like a thick smoke."Eat your eggs, Scarlett," Marcus said. He didn't look up from his paper. "They’re getting cold. I don't like waste. Neither does the board of directors.""I'm eating," I said. I pushed a piece of yellow yolk around the plate. The texture felt like wet chalk in my mouth."You're not," Lydia whispered. She finally looked at me. Her eyes were red. "Marcus, she looks pale. Maybe she should stay home from the gala tonight. She's just a girl, she needs rest.""She is going," Marcus said. He folded the paper with a sharp snap. The sound made Lydia flinch. He looked at me, his eyes searching my face for a crack. "She’s going because she’s the face of this family. Even if that face is hiding things. Even if she thinks

The red dress felt like a layer of skin I didn’t want. I sat on the edge of the bed, my back straight, knowing the cameras were counting the seconds I spent sitting still. Silas entered the room with a stack of fresh towels. He didn't look at me, but he dropped a small, heavy object into the folds of the duvet.It was a burner phone. Tiny. No screen, just three buttons."One minute," Silas whispered as he fluffed a pillow. "The guard is taking a leak. Roman is on the line. He’s different today, Scarlett. Don't argue with him. Just listen."I pressed the middle button. The speaker hissed."Scarlett," Roman’s voice was a low vibration. It wasn't the voice of the boy who had cried in the hospital. It was cold. It sounded like metal hitting stone."Roman! Are you okay?" I whispered. I kept my face turned away from the lens by the closet."Stop asking that," Roman snapped. "Being okay doesn't matter. Winning matters. I’ve stopped looking for the money Marcus stole. I’m looking at the money