2025-10-17 18:27:21Upon returning upstairs, Brandon dialed Joe, his subordinate.
“Make sure the officials who pushed this through are taken care of properly,” Brandon instructed. “Also 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. “That woman 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 the time the table was complete, he prepared a flicker of candles. The rich scent of roasted meat and the soft music humming in the background was all perfect. Brandon checked his watch. Downstairs, in the living room, Ava Bennet and her circle of friends suddenly received urgent calls. With hurried apologies, they gathered their coats and handbags and left. Brandon was pleased. At least, tonight, for once, it would just be him and Sophia. So he awaited Sophia’s arrival. Seven o’clock passed. Then eight. He poured himself a glass of wine, still believing she would walk through the door at any moment. At nine, doubt began to gnaw at him. By ten, the candles burned low with wax dripping down their sides. Finally, he pulled out his phone and dialed. On the first ring, there was no answer. He tried again, but there was still no answer. Three times. Still silence. On the fourth attempt, the call connected, but it wasn’t Sophia’s voice. “Hello?” A man’s chuckle drifted through the line. “Looking for Sophia? Hold on, she’s right here.” Brandon froze. His blood ran cold. “Who is this? Isn’t this… Sophia’s number?” The man laughed again, louder this time, before calling out, “Sophia, sweetheart, your husband is on the line.” His tone was intimate and mocking. There was a shuffle, then Sophia’s voice came through, clipped and irritated. “Brandon, why are you calling me during work hours? I told you not to disturb me when I’m busy.” Brandon swallowed, trying to steady his voice. “Sophia, it’s late. I just wanted to say I prepared something for us tonight. A candlelit dinner, just the two of us. Your mother isn’t home, so it could have been… our evening.” Sophia sighed impatiently. “Brandon, honestly. I don’t have time for this nonsense. My company is hosting a celebration banquet tonight. Investors, board members, the media would be present. It’s important. I won’t be back until morning, so don’t bother waiting up.” Before he could respond, the line went dead. Brandon stared at the phone as her words echoed in his head. He set it down slowly, dissapointed and dejected. Just then, his phone vibrated with a new notification. It was a video. Without wasting time, Brandon opened it. On the screen, Sophia stood in the center of a glittering banquet hall with a stranger’s arm draped possessively around her. The man was tall and handsome. He had the kind of easy charm that drew attention effortlessly. Laughter and cheers rose from the crowd as he knelt on one knee, producing a small velvet box. Brandon’s breath caught in his throat. The man slid a sparkling ring onto Sophia’s finger and her cheeks flushed with excitement as she smiled. The crowd clapped as she nodded her acceptance. The camera zoomed closer, capturing the moment their lips met. The kiss was long, intimate, and unmistakable, making the crowd roar. Brandon’s hands shook. “No… no, this can’t be…” He dialed Sophia again, desperate for her to answer. He needed to hear the truth directly from her lips. But this time, the call didn’t go through. Her phone had been switched off. Brandon sank into the chair by the empty table. He wanted to believe in her still, but the video burned in his mind. ******* Across town, in a softly lit suite, Sophia lay in Ryan Cooper’s arms—the same man from the video and the call. Her head rested on his chest while he lazily traced patterns on her arm. “Why didn’t you wear the ring tonight?” Ryan asked. Sophia stiffened slightly, then shifted. “It’s not the right time. I haven’t finalized my divorce yet. Wearing it openly would only cause trouble.” Ryan tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “And when will that be? How long do you plan to keep me waiting?”
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Chapter 184
The decision was sealed the moment Alexander nodded.For a brief second, silence swallowed the living room. No one spoke. No one questioned what had just been agreed upon. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, as though the room understood that something irreversible had been set in motion.Victor was the first to move.He reached for his phone without ceremony, his expression calm, almost bored, as if this were nothing more than a routine business call. There was no flicker of doubt in his eyes, no hesitation in his hands. Men like Victor had long ago learned to separate consequence from conscience. When power ruled, morality became something flexible—something adjusted when it became inconvenient.He stepped away from the group, turning his back slightly as he dialed a number saved without a name.The phone rang once.Twice.Then the call connected.“Cole,” Victor said evenly. “We have a job.”Miles away, Cole Riven leaned back in his chair, one boot propped against the edge of
Chapter 183
Alexander’s living room slowly regained its earlier rhythm, though the tension never fully left. The sharp scent of spilled wine still hung stubbornly in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of polished wood and expensive cologne. Somewhere outside, a car passed, its tires hissing softly against the road, a reminder that the world beyond these walls continued as normal. Inside, however, something had shifted. His friends drew closer together, their movements subtle but instinctive, as though proximity alone might restore the confidence that had cracked moments earlier.The shattered glass on the marble floor had been pushed aside, but the dark stain of wine remained, an unspoken reminder of how quickly certainty could break.One of them, Victor, was the first to speak. He leaned back against the arm of the couch, crossing his arms with a scoff that sounded deliberately casual. “Honestly, Alex, those men were never up to the task,” he said dismissively. “You trusted the wrong people.
Chapter 182
Alexander froze where he stood. For a split second, he was convinced the voice coming from his phone was distorted, that the words had twisted themselves into something nonsensical. His mind rejected them outright. The laughter that had filled the room only moments earlier died instantly, cut off as if someone had slammed a door shut. The air felt heavier and charged. “What did you just say?” Alexander asked slowly. His tone was deceptively calm, too controlled, the kind of calm that came just before something broke. His eyes narrowed, and his fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles paled. “Repeat yourself.” On the other end of the line, the man hesitated. Alexander could hear labored breathing, uneven and strained, and beneath it, the faint, unmistakable sound of pain being suppressed. “Sir…” the man began, then paused, as if bracing himself. “I said Brandon Scott defeated us.” Alexander blinked. Once. Twice. Then he laughed. It was a short, disbelieving so
Chapter 181
Alexander lounged in his sprawling living room. The scent of expensive wine mingled with the faint aroma of freshly lit candles, creating an atmosphere of leisure and indulgence, the kind that suggested nothing in the world could disturb the man who ruled this space. He sat back comfortably in his plush leather armchair, one leg crossed over the other, a deep burgundy glass of aged wine resting loosely in his hand. He swirled the liquid slowly, watching the wine cling to the sides of the glass as though savoring the ritual more than the drink itself. Around him, his closest friends laughed lightly, their voices blending with the soft hum of background music. Their chatter echoed off the high walls, filled with careless amusement and easy confidence, but Alexander’s mind was not fully with them. He was already looking ahead. “Tonight,” he began at last, his voice smooth and controlled, cutting through the laughter with effortless authority. The room grew quieter as his friends
Chapter 180
Brandon’s eyes flicked rapidly across the room as the men lunged toward him. Yet, deep within him, a memory stirred—a memory of years spent learning the fundamentals of martial training. He hadn’t practiced seriously in a long time, letting time and comfort dull the edge of his skill, but it had never left him entirely. And now, it was as though the universe had presented him with the perfect test. The first man swung a massive fist toward Brandon’s head. He ducked instinctively, feeling the rush of air as the man’s punch missed by inches. His body reacted on memory alone. With a swift motion, Brandon jabbed upward with his elbow, striking the attacker’s shoulder in a precise, controlled motion. The man grunted, staggered slightly, but Brandon didn’t pause. He shifted his weight, spinning around to deliver a calculated kick that caught another man approaching from the side. The force wasn’t meant to maim, but it threw the attacker off balance, and he crashed into the wall with a loud
Chapter 179
Brandon’s words barely finished echoing in the room when the men burst into laughter. It wasn’t the kind of laughter that carried humor or lightness. It was sharp, mocking, filled with certainty and contempt, a sound that sliced through the tense air like a jagged blade. It bounced off the walls of the bedroom, ricocheting from the ceiling and hard wooden floors, making the space feel suddenly smaller, tighter, as though the walls themselves were closing in. Each echo seemed to press down on Brandon’s shoulders, but he refused to show fear. “Missed our way?” the man closest to Brandon repeated, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, his voice thick with derision. “You really think we walk into a house without knowing exactly where we’re going?” Another man shook his head slowly, a smirk twisting his features. “That’s what happens when someone lives too comfortably. You forget the world doesn’t always knock before it enters.” Brandon’s jaw tightened, but he kept his expre
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