Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

Chapter 89

Chapter 89

KESTER.

I closed the door as carefully as possible so as not to wake Kasmine up. She was still sound asleep, her body curled beneath the covers, lost in the kind of deep rest only I could give her. I wasn't about to disturb that.

We were supposed to go scuba diving today, but after last right, I wasn't sure she'd have the energy for it. Maybe we'd take the day off and stick to something easier-like the bonfire at the villa tonight. She'd love that. For now, I had other things to deal with.

I strode to my room, my mind already shifting into work inde. A shower first- then emails. I knew there'd be a flood of them waiting for me, along with the hundreds of messages from my father that I'd purposely ignored yesterday.

I'd deal with him later.

The moment the hot water hit my skin, tension melted from my muscles. I let it run over me, closing my eyes for just a second longer than necessary, letting my mind drift. had been a long time since I felt this-contentment. Not peace. Not exactly. But something close. Something I only ever felt when Kasmine was with me.

After my bath, I stepped out, letting the cool air hit my skin I toweled off, applied lotion, and pulled on my usual -sweatpants and a black singlet, an easy go-to. As I reached for my laptop, my gaze caught on the tattoo on my arm.

A slow smile stretched across my lips.

Mine.

Every time I looked at it, it reminded me of her-of what she meant to me, of how deeply she was etched into me. Even when she wasn't physically by my side, she was here.

Getting these tattoos was the best decision I'd made in a long time.

For a brief moment, I stood by the window, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun. The air was fresh, the ocean breeze slipping through. The day promised calm.

Then I opened my laptop.

And just like that, the calm was gone.

Thirty-four emails.

My jaw tensed.

I grabbed my phone, unlocking it with a flick of my thumb Twenty-one texts. Forty-eight voicemails.

What the fuck?

Was my pack on fire? Had the world ended overnigh

A muscle feathered in my jaw as I stared

at my screen, irritation curling in my gut.

I decided to look at my emails first. They were all from the office.

I clicked on the first email, and Ryhs's name flashed at the top. My eyes skimmed

through the message, irritation shifting into something else. Worry.

Chapter 69

It came in as URGENT.

-29 BONUS

Ryhs: "I don't know what the fuck is happening, but our suppliers In Scotland have practically shut us out, We were already struggling with Belinzo prioritizing Valor Larte's shipments, but now even our backup suppliers are pulling back

I've spoken with Mellors Holdings-or tried to. They won't return my calls. Neither will Hexley Shipping That's not a coincidence. Someone is leaning on them hard.

Our latest shipment of semiconductors, scheduled for this week, has been rerouted. It was supposed to be ours. Instead, it's been redirected to Valor Lante. Again.

If we don't act fast, our Scotland branch will go under. We're already bleeding money trying to keep things afloat. Another quarter like this, and we'll be forced to cut operations.

We need leverage. We need a way to make Belinzo hurt for this. Tell me how you want to proceed."

I felt my heart pick up speed.

Fuck!

more than he could

slowly, my jaw tightening. They were

no shipments.

next email was from

Re: Belinzo-Valor Lante Contract

Kester,

and there's no easy way in. The exclusivity clause is airtight. Belinzo legally has the right to prioritize Valor ante for the next two

it, it would take months-maybe a year-before we could

something interesting. The clause only applies to direct

company, we might be

if you want me to dig

Logan.

eyes briefly. A workaround. A

rewrite their agreement and block us out

didn't act,

from Maya

Chapter 30

a serious

financial models project that if Wescor pulls out of Zamford and reinvests in Valor

That's overnight, Kester.

out and others follow-which they will-our board will start looking

They'll vote you out."

More emails came in:

contracts-both of

a PR nightmare brewing. Journalists are

email, every fucking message, was like a hand tightening around my throat... Another shove toward the edge

Wescorpulling out.

Belinzo shutting us out.

Valor Lante taking everything

wasn't just competition. This was war. A well-calculated attempt to gut me

Why?

I didn't let him get my

sharp enough dip, they'd turn on me without hesitation. They'd vote me out

built to some corporate puppet willing

slowly, pushing away from the bed where I sat. The very air I

was thick with

over to the table by the window, my

glass vase perched at

to falling off

I didn't move it. Neither did I steady it. Instead, I watched it,

tip over on its

like that vase-balanced on the edge, one wrong move away from crashing. If

there, letting it sit and

I was about

reached for my phone, preparing to call Rhys in order to start tearing through this mess, when the door slammed open with a violent

Chapter 89

didn't even have time to look before it was shoved closed with

through

the actual

June.

on my nerves, adding gasoline to the flames of fury

did June learn to

sundged from the night before, still wearing yesterday's dress. Her arms were crossed tight over her chest, nails digging into her side as she glared at me like I was the lowest piece

a second-a single

car all night!" She said, and

give a shit. No wonder

up from my phone. "You

know that," she snapped. "And when I woke up, was still in

have any idea how cold