Alle Kapitel von Marked by My Fiancé's Brother: Kapitel 31 – Kapitel 40

~ Maya ~ The cool air outside brushes against my skin, but it can't touch the lava churning inside me. I was played. Angry tears prickle at the corners of my eyes; I don't let them fall. My own father. That's the part I can't get past, the part that keeps circling back like a blade. Not Harvey — Harvey I expect cruelty from. My father. The man who taught me to stand my ground, who slapped me across a hotel room and then, when I was already on the floor, fed me a lie dressed as mercy. Mate the Alpha, or watch Nico stripped of everything he's earned. Marry a monster, or ruin Stacey's future. Threats that were never real, a council decree that never existed, an exile that was never coming. He didn't coerce me to protect the family. He coerced me and let me believe I was the one saving it. So the mating is an even bigger joke than I thought. I've been caged in Harvey's quarters for nothing, playing house for show while he enjoys his time with Georgina. That night we were drugged, he lo

~ Maya ~I park my car and smooth away the invisible wrinkles on my blouse and pencil skirt one more time.Today is my first day at Devereux Enterprises, and looking up at the skyscraper in front of me — the huge board bearing the company name — I'm still second-guessing whether I made the right choice.I need the money. I need the experience for my CV before I leave the pack. And I need to be close to Harvey to wake my wolf. I know all of that. So why, standing beside this polished, lavish building, do I feel like I'm walking into the wolves' den of my own free will — and that it'll bring me nothing but trouble?There's a bitter joke buried in it, too. I was always meant to end up in this building. Derek promised me a place here the day he proposed, back when the future was supposed to be his firm, his family, his name. Devereux Enterprises is a family business, and Derek is second only to Harvey inside it. I just never pictured myself walking in as a junior architect on Harvey's pay

~ Harvey ~I tell myself I'm only stopping by to welcome the newest architect at Devereux Enterprises. That's the story, and I almost believe it — right up until the elevator opens on the eighth floor and Derek's scent hits me in the corridor, layered over Maya's, and Zev lifts his head with a low snarl. By the time I reach her door, whatever civil greeting I'd rehearsed has curdled into something with teeth. I don't examine why my brother's scent on her should bother me. I've become very good, these past weeks, at not examining things.Maya stands in her office clutching the huge bouquet, wearing a smile that could outshine the stars. Only she and Graham are in the room, but beneath their scents and the flowers, I can unmistakably smell Derek.Zev growls, possessive, and Maya startles."Graham, could you give us a moment? I'd like to greet our new employee personally." I say it to him, but my eyes never leave Maya."Of course, sir," Graham replies, and closes the door quickly behind

~ Maya ~ I switch off the stove, my stomach growling as the aroma of saffron and cheese tickles my nose. But a low groan from the living room startles me, and I bolt toward the sound before I can think. Harvey is on the sofa, shirtless, blood trickling down his chest and temple as he dabs at the wounds, hissing. "What happened?" I ask. He brushes me off. "Nothing to worry about." For a second, I freeze. This is the man I swore I'd freeze out for a month — the one who stamped his name on me without asking, who I promised myself I'd make answer for it. I should turn around, go back to my risotto, and let him bleed. Instead, my feet carry me to him, the cloth already out of his hand and into mine, because some instincts run deeper than a grudge. "Why didn't you go to the clinic?" "Just a few scratches," he

~ Maya ~I send my final project off to the university and dive fully into work. Graduation is less than a month away, and I curse myself for how foolish I was to turn this job down at first.This is heaven — literally architecture heaven. A shame I won't be here long, but for now I can enjoy it fully.Buried in sketches, I don't notice it's already afternoon.A knock at the door startles me, and I look up to see Lola, smiling ear to ear."Hello, Maya. Derek and I are heading to lunch — would you like to join?"Voluntarily eat with my ex? Throwing myself into a snake pit would be a better option than sitting across from Derek — or worse, beside him."Thank you, Lola. I have a lot of work. I'll just order takeout," I say dryly.But instead of leaving, Lola invites herself into my office, sliding into the chair across from me."I'm sorry for everything — for ghosting you. You can't imagine how devastated