Chapter 156

Christiana’s POV

The day had started perfectly. Business was flourishing like never before. My team had just closed another massive deal, and the gallery expansion project was moving faster than expected. Even Ethan and Emma had been in high spirits lately. Emma’s giggles filled the suite every morning, and Ethan had finally stopped asking so many questions about Alex’s absence.

Yet, even with everything falling into place, something felt… off.

It wasn’t the gallery. It wasn’t the twins. It was Alex.

He was in Dubai, dealing with what he’d called an “urgent work situation.” At first, I’d been furious when I couldn’t reach him for three days. But when he finally picked up, the sound of his voice melted my anger into worry. Alex was calm…too calm, like he was trying to hide something.

The man I knew wasn’t just distant; he was burdened. And no matter how much I pressed, he refused to open up.

That nagging feeling had stayed with me all morning, growing stronger by the hour. By the time the twins were down for their afternoon nap, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers.

I paced the living room, clutching my phone tightly. My thumb hovered over Sebastian’s name. Alex’s half–brother might not have been my first choice for this conversation, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he knew more than he let on.

With a deep breath, I tapped the call button and brought the phone to my ear. It rang twice before Sebastian’s smooth, slightly amused voice came through.

“Christiana,” he said, drawing out my name. “To what do I owe this surprise?”

I wasn’t in the mood for his usual charm. “Sebastian, I need you to be honest with me.”

His tone shifted instantly, the lightness gone. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Alex,” I said, sinking onto the couch. My fingers gripped the armrest as I tried to steady my voice. “Something’s not right with him. He’s in Dubai, and when we spoke, I could tell he wasn’t okay. He’s hiding something, and I need to know what it is.”

There was a long pause on the other end, and I could almost hear Sebastian debating with himself.

“Sebastian,” I pressed, my voice firm. “If you know something, you need to tell me. Please.”

He sighed heavily, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter, almost reluctant. “Christiana, you’re not going to like this.”

“Just tell me,” I demanded, my heart pounding in my chest.

“It’s Daniel Brooks,” he said, his words landing like a hammer. “He’s targeting Alex.”

I froze, my mind racing. “What? Why?”

“Because of you,” Sebastian said bluntly. “Daniel’s been holding a grudge against Alex ever since you turned him down. He’s been making me to topple Alex’s company, publicly humiliate him, and now… he’s coming after him personally.”

My grip on the phone tightened, my knuckles turning white. “You’re telling me this is all because of me?”

sees him as an obstacle, someone standing in the

you, Christiana.”

way

of what

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my chest heaving as a wave of fury crashed over me. “That arrogant bastard,”

didn’t want you to know. He thought he could handle it on his own. But the truth is… he’s scared, Christiana. Scared

me harder than anything else Sebastian had said. Alex, the man who always seemed so strong, so unshakable, was scared. And it

tell me?” I whispered, more

said simply. “And he doesn’t want

words settling over me like a storm cloud. My heart ached for Alex, for the burden he’d been carrying alone.

get away with this,” I said, my voice shaking

do anything reckless. Alex is already under enough

can toy with people’s lives. He’s gone too far,

other end of the line, and then Sebastian said, “Just… be careful,

said quietly, my resolve hardening. “And I’m not going to let him

caught my eye in the mirror across the room. My expression was one I barely recognized… fierce, determined,

heart raced as I tossed my phone onto the couch and began pacing back and forth across the living room.

Daniel Brooks.

thought of as a good friend. The man who’d come to me, broken and vulnerable, begging for someone to hear him out when he felt like the world

a second skin, I had gone to see him. I sat with him, listened to him. I wanted to believe that extending an olive branch, even after rejecting

had driven

had been cold, distant in a way I’d never experienced before. At the time, I understood why.

way into a world he didn’t belong to, and to make himself into a threat. The sudden, unexplained wealth. The

And now this.

This betrayal.

of a chair

chest felt tight.

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