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All Chapters of Between Two Brothers : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

35 Chapters

CHAPTER 1.

ISLA'S POVThe ticking of the office clock had become the metronome of my despair.Six years. For two thousand, one hundred and ninety days, I had survived in the sleek, glass-and-steel corridors of the Blackthorne Group, fueled entirely by a promise that was slowly turning to ash.In the beginning, the waiting was a fierce, living thing. I had poured my heart into letters, sealing my devotion into paper and ink. Because Victor Blackthorne monitored my digital footprint, I couldn't risk emails or direct calls. I had turned to Julian. Dare’s cousin had been my only bridge, a steady, sympathetic presence who offered to slip my letters into the secure family mail couriered to Spain.“I’ll make sure he gets them, Isla,” Julian would always promise, his dark eyes filled with a gentle, pitying warmth as he tucked the envelopes into his breast pocket. “He’s just busy. The college there is totally different from ours. And you know how his father is.”But Dare never replied. Not once.The six

CHAPTER 2.

ISLA'S POVThe morning sun filtered through my bedroom curtains, but I couldn't bring myself to face it.I hadn’t told my mother about losing my job yet. When she had called me early this morning, her voice bright with the bustling sounds of her restaurant kitchen in the background, the truth choked me. Instead, I lied. I told her the company had granted me a sudden, well-deserved free day. She had cheered, insisting I stay in bed and rest.So, I did. I slept in, buried beneath my duvet, trying to outrun the crushing weight of reality. For six years, my identity had been anchored to the Blackthorne Group. Now, I was adrift.By the late afternoon, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was Thea."Get out of bed, Harlow," her voice commanded gently the moment I answered. "I’m not letting you wallow in a dark room. Meet me at The Glasshouse restaurant in an hour. No excuses. Let me cheer you up."I sighed, staring at the ceiling, but I knew she was right. Sitting in isolation was only mak

CHAPTER 3.

ISLA'S POV The ring on my finger felt like ice. I stared down at it, my heart hammering so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it over the low hum of the restaurant. My mouth had opened, the word “yes” balancing on my tongue like a white flag. I was tired of fighting. I was jobless, terrified for my mother’s future, and drowning in the crushing realization that Victor Blackthorne had just thrown me away. Julian offered safety. He offered an escape from the constant, aching ghost of what could have been. But just as I was about to surrender, the wooden doors of our private alcove didn’t just open—the entire illusion of my safe future shattered. Darian Blackthorne walked into the room like he owned the very air we breathed. He was taller than I remembered, his shoulders broader, the boyish vulnerability completely replaced by sharp, ruthless edges. His dark suit was tailored to perfection, emphasizing the cold power radiating from his frame. But it wasn't just his transfor

CHAPTER 4.

ISLA'S POV I stared at the imposing glass tower of the Blackthorne Group, my stomach twisting into knots. The morning sun glinted off the building like a mocking smile, reminding me exactly where I stood—far below the people inside. Swallowing my pride tasted like ash. Yesterday, after the disaster at the restaurant, I’d gone home ready to burn every bridge. But reality hit harder than Dare’s cruel words. Mum’s health had worsened overnight, and I'm broke. Mom's business hasn't been going smoothly, recently. Mum had taken my hands in hers, her voice soft despite her fatigue. "“Isla, love, pride won’t pay the bills. If Darian is offering a job, take it. For us.”" Thea had been even blunter over the phone. “Girl, you’re drowning. Go to the office. Work for the devil if you have to—just don’t let Julian or Dare own you completely." So here I was. At eight o’clock sharp, like Dare had commanded. The lobby screamed cutting-edge power—marble floors, sleek black accents, and the

CHAPTER 5.

ISLA'S POV I stood up slowly, the earlier humiliation fueling my own fire. “Working, Julian. Something I desperately needed to do.”He crossed the distance in three long strides, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward a quieter corner near the massive windows overlooking London’s skyline. “I told you I’d take care of you. That I’d protect you from whatever danger Dare represents. You didn’t need to come crawling to him!”“Protect me?” I laughed bitterly, wrenching my arm free. “If you really wanted to help me, Julian, you would have done all that you could to stop Victor from laying me off - instead of dangling security like a prize while I stressed over our bills. All I got were vague warnings and empty promises. You wanted me dependent. Weak and easy to control.”His jaw clenched, a flash of something dark crossing his features—anger, yes, but also panic. “You don’t understand the full picture. Dare isn’t who you think he is. He’ll destroy you.”“And what about you?” I shot back, my

CHAPTER 6.

ISLA'S POVThe air in Dare’s office thickened the second Julian burst through the door. My heart slammed against my ribs as I watched the two cousins face each other. Julian’s face twisted with fury, Dare’s expression carved from ice and arrogance.“Get your hands off her, Dare,” Julian snarled again, stepping closer. His eyes flicked to where Dare still loomed over my chair, one hand braced on the leather back, caging me without touching.Dare didn’t move. A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. “This is my office, cousin. My company. My employee. You’re the one trespassing.”Julian’s gaze dropped to me, softening with that familiar concern that now felt suffocating. “Isla, come with me. You don’t have to do this. I told you I’d take care of everything.”I stood on shaky legs, the weight of their stares pinning me in place. The impossible schedule on the tablet burned in my mind—meetings that couldn’t possibly be made, errands designed to break me. And behind it all, Mum’s restauran

CHAPTER 7.

ISLA'S POVThe morning after my sleepless night felt like walking into a battlefield already rigged against me. My eyes burned from exhaustion as I stepped off the private elevator, but I kept my chin high. The tablet in my hands held Dare’s impossible schedule, now slightly less chaotic thanks to my all-nighter. Still, the list of errands attached was designed to humiliate.Dare didn’t even glance up when I entered his office to confirm the day’s agenda. “Dry cleaning first. Then the whiskey. Documents for the Tokyo team by ten. Don’t disappoint me, Harlow.”I swallowed my retort and got to work, immediately.The dry cleaning was ruined before I even reached the office. The Mayfair shop handed me the wrong suit—Serena’s doing, I suspected, when I caught her smirking from the car she’d “borrowed” me for errands. The whiskey bottle slipped from my trembling hands in the lobby, shattering across marble. Wrong documents? I delivered the merger files to the wrong floor, triggering a chain

CHAPTER 8..

ISLA'S POVThe city lights blurred through the rain-streaked window of the cab as I clutched my phone, my fingers still trembling from the silent sobs that had wracked me at my desk earlier. Exhaustion clung to me like a second skin, heavier than the damp wool of my coat. Six years of waiting, of surviving, and here I was—reduced to a pawn in a game I never asked to play. Dare’s question echoed in my head like a curse: Why him, Isla? As if he had any right to ask. As if he hadn’t shattered me first.My phone buzzed again. It was Julian. I’d ignored the first two calls, but this time, something in me cracked. I answered, pressing the device to my ear.“Isla?” His voice was warm, laced with that familiar concern that had once felt like an anchor. “Thea told me what happened. You sound wrecked. Where are you?”“Heading home,” I lied, my voice hoarse. The cab slowed at a red light, and I watched couples laughing under umbrellas on the sidewalk. They had a normal lives. But mine, wasn't e

CHAPTER 9.

ISLA'S POV I snatched my bag and stormed out, pushing past the velvet curtains and the stunned hostess. The cool night air hit me like a slap as I flagged down a cab, my phone buzzing insistently in my pocket. I didn’t look back.In the back of the cab, I pulled out my phone. A message came in, almost immediately."Unknown: Anonymous tip led to a surprise health inspection at your mother’s restaurant today. Violations cited. Lease renewal in jeopardy unless resolved quickly. Thought you should know. Careful on who you trust."My blood ran cold. The timing was too perfect. Too cruel. Was this Dare’s doing? Julian’s warning shot? Or Victor pulling strings from the shadows? I clutched the phone, nausea rising. Mum’s restaurant was her freedom, her health, everything we’d fought for. And now, it was dangling by a thread.I gave the driver new directions. The Blackthorne tower. Even at this hour, the lights burned in the penthouse. Desperation clawed at me. I couldn’t let this happen. Not

CHAPTERS 10.

ISLA'S POVThe elevator doors whispered open in1 I’d barely slept, my mind replaying the desperate bargain I’d struck with Dare the night before. My mother’s restaurant was safe—for now—but at what cost? “Personal availability” echoed like a shackle. I smoothed my navy blouse, the fabric already clinging from the nervous sweat on my palms, and headed to my desk. The files from yesterday still mocked me in neat stacks.The sound of the private lift humming again made me freeze. It was barely six-thirty. No one should be here.Dare stepped out, briefcase in hand, his dark suit impeccably tailored despite the early hour. His hair was still damp from a shower, and the faint scent of cedar and spice hit me like a memory I wanted to bury. He didn’t look surprised to see me. Of course he didn’t. He’d probably tracked my badge access.“Harlow,” he said, voice low and commanding as he strode past my desk without slowing. “My office. Now.”I followed, heels clicking too loudly on the marble. Th

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