All Chapters of THE CASTAWAY HEIR: POWER UNSEEN: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
11 chapters
CHAPTER 1
Brandon Scott wiped the last bit of dust from the polished counter when his phone buzzed sharply. Without wasting any time, he picked up.“Sir, the application went through. Reckon International, your wife's company has been approved for listing. Tomorrow morning, during the prime time slot, she’ll be ringing the Nasdaq bell.”Brandon froze mid-step, the rag slipping slightly from his hand. “Are you certain?”“Yes, sir. And the press conference is being broadcast live on TV right now. The whole market is buzzing.”"Good job, Joe,” he said warmly. “You’ve handled everything flawlessly. I’m proud of you.”After ending the call, Brandon smiled with quiet pride. For the past two years of their marriage, he had supported Sophia behind the scenes, but she had remained unaware of the countless ways he had worked to pave her path. Now, he had secured her approval for a position that many brilliant and ambitious executives in the city had applied for—yet only she had been chosen.Brandon h
CHAPTER 2
Upon returning upstairs, Brandon dialed Joe, his subordinate. “Make sure the officials who pushed this through are taken care of properly,” Brandon instructed.“Make sure it all remains discreet. No loose ends.”“Yes, sir.”“And another thing,” Brandon continued, pausing only to sip his tea. “Transfer Scott Holdings into her name. She won’t know it’s from me, but I want the paperwork clean and airtight. By the time she asks questions, the transition should already be complete.”The subordinate hesitated. “All of it, sir?”“All of it,” Brandon replied firmly. “She deserves more than half-measures.”When the call ended, Brandon exhaled deeply. He imagined the look on Sophia’s face when she realized the empire was hers to command. He had been careful to stay behind the curtain, moving people, funds, and influence into place.Tonight, he wanted to surprise her.He moved to the kitchen and prepared Sophia’s favorite dishes—roast duck with orange glaze, saffron rice, and the tiramisu.By
CHAPTER 3
The following day, the front door clicked open, and Sophia Bennet walked in.She still smelled of champagne, though she tried to hide it with a small smile.The house was quiet—too quiet—until her eyes landed on Brandon.He was sprawled across the sofa, still in yesterday’s shirt with dark circles shadowing his eyes. His phone lay loosely in his hand, as though he’d been waiting the entire night.Sophia dropped her bag on the entryway table and lifted her chin. “You’re here? Then make yourself useful. My shoulders ache. Give me a massage.”Brandon stayed still with his tired eyes fixed on her.Her lips tightened. “What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you’re too tired. Even Ryan would never say no if I asked.”The thought slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it, and her chest warmed just remembering him. Ryan was caring, always smiling, guiding her gently, and making her feel cherished. Ryan was Sophia’s first love, back after many years abroad. Sophia believed he was t
CHAPTER 4
Outside, Brandon’s phone buzzed.He answered without checking the caller ID. “Sir, it’s Joe.” The familiar voice of his most loyal subordinate carried a note of excitement. “The transfer of shares for Scott Holdings is nearly complete. In two days, when your wife, Mrs. Scott, rings the Nasdaq bell, you can present it to her as a gift. It’ll be the perfect moment—your timing couldn’t be better.”Brandon stopped walking and drew in a slow breath before replying.“There’s no need,” he said finally with a flat tone.Joe was silent for a beat. “Sir?”Brandon’s hand tightened around the phone. “I asked her for a divorce today. In three days, I’ll return to collect the signed papers. As for the share transfer, you can handle it. I don’t care what’s done with it anymore. Right now, I just want peace.”Even though he felt the pain of the divorce, his voice remained calm.On the other end, Joe exhaled slowly. He had been with Brandon long enough to know how much the man had sacrificed for
CHAPTER 5
Brandon managed to get Jessica Marion to the nearest hotel so he could help her.As he sat at the edge of the bed, he pressed a sterilized blade gently against Jessica’s wrist, letting out controlled drops of blood and guiding the poisoned heat out of her system. His movements were precise and steady.This was not his first time administering such treatment.The setup was simple, yet something about it felt intimate.His hand rested over hers as her breathing steadied, rising and falling in quiet rhythm. The faint color returning to her cheeks told him that the toxin was fading.---When Jessica woke, her head pounded, and her body felt oddly weak. She stirred, confused by the unfamiliar ceiling above her. She could tell that she was in a hotel.Slowly, she sat up and froze.Red traces streaked across her arms and collarbone, faint but visible against her pale skin. Horror jolted through her chest. What… what happened to me? Her mind flashed back to the leering faces of those th
CHAPTER 6
Brandon was puzzled.“No home?” he repeated slowly in disbelief.Jessica met his eyes, then looked away. Her aura was anything but ordinary. Fair, porcelain skin, delicate features, and an elegance she couldn’t disguise even while wrapped in a hotel robe—everything about her screamed refinement. A woman like her belonged at galas, not drifting without a place to go.He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her.Seeing the doubt in his expression, Jessica gave a bitter laugh. “I suppose I don’t look like a beggar to you.”“You don’t,” Brandon admitted bluntly.Her smile faded as she lowered her gaze to the sheet twisted between her fingers. “That’s because until recently, I wasn’t one. I was…” She paused as a tremor ran through her. “…the CEO of Marion Investments.”The name struck a faint chord and Brandon’s brows drew together.Jessica went on, her voice quiet but laced with anguish. “We were preparing for an IPO. Everything was ready and the timing was perfect. But then the process
CHAPTER 7
At the far corner, by a window, Ava Bennet, Sophia’s mother, sat with a delicate porcelain cup raised gracefully to her lips at the hotel lounge. Her friends sat around her in a circle of admiration.“Truly, Ava,” murmured Helena, the plumpest of the group, adjusting her pearl necklace as though it might impress the hotel staff. “Your Jessica has outdone herself. Hosting a banquet in this hotel, of all places! And then booking the presidential suite for you… If it were my daughter, she wouldn’t even dare step foot in here. The price of tea alone could swallow her month’s salary.”The others chuckled, shaking their heads with envy and awe.“My son is still asking me for money every other month. And here you are, living in a presidential suite, being paraded like royalty. You’re blessed, Ava. Absolutely blessed.” Helena chimed in with a self-deprecating laugh.Their voices overlapped. Ava lowered her gaze, tracing the rim of her cup as though embarrassed by their words. She let them
CHAPTER 8
Ava Bennet’s piercing stare lingered even after Jessica had forced a smile and murmured a polite greeting. The air in the corridor seemed to shrink with hostility. Jessica had never liked conflict and wanted no part in any misunderstanding or drama.Brandon, standing beside her, slid his hands into his pockets with a cold expression.“Maybe the same way you ended up here. I've got nothing more to say. I’m leaving.”Jessica almost sighed with relief, grateful that he wasn’t interested in prolonging the encounter. But just then, a voice rang out.“Stop right there.”It was Ava. Her voice cracked like a whip across the corridor. The sharp command echoed against the marble walls, drawing curious glances from passing hotel staff.Jessica froze while Brandon turned slowly.“Did I say you could go?” Ava’s tone dripped venom with her chin tilted high as if she were addressing a servant.Jessica’s stomach clenched. The sheer arrogance in the older woman’s posture made her uneasy. She was
CHAPTER 9
Brandon stepped forward calmly and placed a steadying hand on Jessica’s shoulder.“Mrs Bennett, don’t make a scene,” he said evenly. “There’s nothing improper going on here.”Ava let out a sharp, derisive snort. “Nothing improper?” she repeated mockingly, her eyes darting from Brandon’s steady hand on Jessica’s arm to the faint flush on Jessica’s cheeks.“And yet you bring her to a hotel? Do you take me for a fool, Brandon?”Jessica’s face flushed and she shook her head quickly. “You’ve misunderstood, madam” she said earnestly. “Brandon only brought me here to look at an apartment. That’s all. I need a place and he thought this might suit me. Please don’t twist it into something it’s not.”For a brief second, Ava froze. Her painted lips parted and her arched brows twitched as though she were weighing Jessica’s words. Then, just as quickly, her composure cracked—and she burst into laughter. Loud, mocking laughter that made the women clustered behind her exchange uneasy looks.“A
CHAPTER 10
Downstairs, Brandon had just slipped his phone into his pocket after a terse call. His dark eyes flicked toward Jessica before he jerked his chin toward the black sedan parked at the curb.“Get in,” he said.Jessica hesitated. For a moment she considered declining, making some excuse about heading home. A whole day of confrontations—first with Ava Bennet and her poisonous words, then Brandon’s unexpected generosity—had left her drained. But Brandon’s tone carried no room for negotiation.He wasn’t a man who explained himself easily, and in the few hours she had known him, she had already sensed that resistance only prolonged matters.She nodded quietly and slid into the backseat. As the engine purred to life, Jessica finally gathered the courage to ask.“Where… where are we going?”Brandon didn’t answer immediately. His gaze was fixed outside. For a long stretch of silence, only the hum of the road filled the air.When the car slowed and finally rolled to a stop, Jessica’s breat