His Return: Revenge Of The Rejected Son-in-Law

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

In a lavish living room, Alexander Steele, formerly Gilbert Brooks, sat across from a striking woman with an open file between them. The resemblance was undeniable. She was Alessandria Steele, his sister.

“I’m so sorry for everything you went through, brother” she said, voice laced with sorrow. “I didn’t know how it happened or who took you. It was like everything about you were erased from the earth. I only discovered the truth months ago, when I found out you were married into the Brooks family. That’s when I realized... it was you.”

Alexander remained silent, still absorbing the whirlwind his life had become. His eyes scanned the opulent room, landing on framed photos of Alessandria with her husband, glowing and happy.

“I understand,” he said quietly. “But… what about our real parents? Can I know more about them? And grandpa too?”

Alessandria nodded and sighed. “I’ll tell you what I know. But the story about how you ended up in an orphanage after being taken... that part still confuses me too.”

Alexander nodded.

She took a breath. “Our mother was murdered in her hospital bed right after giving birth to you. Our father was killed in his car on the way to see you both. If I’d gone with him that day… I might’ve died too.”

“What?!” Alexander gasped, shocked.

Alessandria nodded. “Shocking, I know. Considering the number of high-profile securities guarding them then.”

She handed him a stack of photos. Alexander stared at the woman who looked so much like them, his mother. His father had the same dark hair he did. He gently traced the images, emotion swelling in his chest.

Alexander’s gaze landed on the other framed portrait and he froze.

It was Grandpa Brooks exact image.

But the name beneath read: King Richard Steele.

“How… how’s he my grandfather?” he asked, stunned.

Alessandria nodded gently. “I know it’s hard to believe, but he wasn’t who he appeared to be.”

She leaned closer. “Our grandfather, Richard Steele has been living in disguise for years. The man you knew as Grandpa Brooks in the Brooks household… was actually him.”

Alexander’s brow furrowed. “Why would he do that? It's not even possible!”

“Because he had to protect you,” she explained. “After our parents were assassinated, the killers kept hunting for you. Grandpa Steele and his best friend, the real Grandpa Brooks came up with a plan. They were so alike in build and mannerisms that, with the help of a top surgeon, they swapped identities using a lifelike mask.”

She added quietly, “He never broke character. He lived as Grandpa Brooks in their household to shield you from danger.”

Alexander sat in stunned silence as Alessandria finished, “I found the truth two months ago too, hidden in one of our his old journals. That discovery led me to find you. I even had investigators dig deeper and it all checked out.”

Alessandria handed Alexander an old, leather-bound book and a faded photograph. “This is the real Grandpa Steele, before the mask.”

Alexander’s hands trembled as he absorbed the revelation.

“There's still something I haven’t told you. Something no one in the Brooks family knows. Not even the world.” she began again.

He held his breath.

“Grandpa Brooks betrayed our Grandpa Steele. He poisoned him to death. And real grandpa Brook still lives in an isolated island. No one knows, except me.” She revealed.

Shock and disbelief washed over Alexander. “So... this means the man who died wasn’t really Grandpa Brooks... but our real grandfather, disguised as him?”

“Exactly.”

“But why would granpa Brook betray our granpa and why's he in hiding?” He asked.

Everything was too much to take in.

“I don’t know yet,” she said. “That’s what I’m still trying to uncover.”

He looked down at the photo, then reached for the book, but Alessandria stopped him with a firm hand.

“Not yet. First, I need to take you to the company and introduce you as the new CEO. It’s time they see the real Alexander Steele, the one they tried to silence.”

He nodded slowly, letting go of the book. The past could wait. The reckoning couldn’t.

****

At the Brooks estate, tension simmered in the living room.

“I still don’t get why Mother and Geraldine offered him that ridiculous amount,” Robert Brooks, Geraldine’s older brother scoffed. “Good thing he turned it down, else I would've been on his tail. I don’t even have that much in my account.”

“He’s suffered enough for this family. It was only fair,” Geraldine snapped. “He’s my husband.”

“Ex-husband,” Robert corrected. “Anyway, glad he’s out of the picture. Now you and Ethan can focus on sealing the deal with the Steele Corporation. You knew that’s why you and Ethan had to marry: to become a powerful couple, wealthy enough in Alessandria Steele’s.”

“We need that deal desperately,” Sierra added. “The company’s drowning in debt, and don’t forget your father’s unpaid loan from Steele Corporation. You must secure it.”

Heads nodded grimly.

Then Granny Brook spoke. “At least you’re already pregnant with Ethan’s child. That should make the arrangement convincing.”

A heavy silence fell.

Geraldine looked around and dropped a bombshell. “The baby isn’t Ethan’s. It’s Gilbert’s.”

Gasps filled the room.

“What? Are you serious?”

“You can’t be—!”

“Listen to me!” Geraldine cut through the chaos. The room quieted.

“I found out I was pregnant weeks ago after that night with Gilbert. I was drunk, and I lied about him raping me. Truth is, I initiated it. I didn’t want a child tied to a nobody, so I pinned it on Ethan. That’s why I agreed to the divorce.”

The room erupted in another gasps.

“What the hell!” Diana cried.

Granny Brook’s voice cut in coldly, “Then why didn’t you abort it?”

Geraldine’s face stiffened. “Because the doctor told me if I even tried, I would die. Or if I survived, I’d never be able to have children again.”

Silence.

Uncle Ryan frowned. “You could’ve adopted with Ethan.”

Geraldine glared at him. “I’m keeping this baby. I won’t die or be barren. To the world, it’s Ethan’s. But within this family, it stays a secret, Gilbert will never know too.”

Sierra scoffed. “Just don’t let it ruin the deal. I can’t believe you lied to us.”

“No one speaks of this again,” Geraldine ordered.

No one dared argue.

She turned and left. “It’s time to seal the deal.”

*****

At Steele Corporation, workers lined up as Alexander stepped out beside Alessandria, whispers rising.

“Isn’t he a killer?”

“What’s the Brooks trash doing here?”

Alexander stayed quiet, though the words cut deep.

“Wait, don’t they look alike?”

What's he doing with our ma'am?”

“Y’all behold your new CEO,” Alessandria announced clearly. “My lost but found brother, Alexander Steele.”

Gasps spread.

Gasps echoed, shocked whispers rippling through the crowd. But before anyone could react further, the old man from that night, Peter Raymond stepped forward, bowing.

“Welcome, Master. We've been expecting you.”

A stunned silence followed. Alexander, once the discarded son-in-law, was now their boss.

“Welcome, Master!” The chant spread as shock turned into respect.

Fortunes could change in a blink, Alexander thought, relishing the moment.

A beautiful woman stepped forward. “Hi, master! I’m Clara Phillip, your PA. Welcome, sir.”

Alexander smiled, this time genuinely.

“Y'all will–”

Alessandria began to speak again, but a car pulled in, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Out stepped Geraldine Brooks, Alexander’s ex-wife, stepped out, flanked by her new lover, Ethan Dolan.

Alexander’s smile faded. What are they doing here?

Geraldine froze at the sight of him. He now looked so confident, refined, powerful. Why does he look so... rich? What's be even doing here, standing beside mistress Alessandria?

Ethan, ever arrogant, stepped forward with a sneer. “So, the worthless Gilbert has crawled here to beg for scraps as usual after being dumped by my fiancée? You look so different though, you've upgraded to a corporate beggar, I see.”

Gasps rippled through the staff at his audacity.

Alessandria stepped up sharply. “Watch your mouth, Ethan Dalon. Don’t you dare talk to my brother that way if you want your deal to go through. He’s the new boss here.”

Ethan's face paled. Geraldine’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Alessandria turned back to the staff “Meet your CEO, Alexander Steele.”