Chapter 172
Wesley
The truth settled over me like ice water. Cold. Clarifying. Brutal.
Five hundred million dollars. That's all I'd ever been to him. A transaction. A means to an end.
I felt something shift inside me. Something that had been holding on—some last shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Felix had actually cared about me—finally died.
And in its place, something colder bloomed.
I laughed. The sound echoed off the concrete walls, sharp and bitter.
"Well," I said, and my voice was steady. Almost amused. "At least you're finally done pretending. No more fake concern. No more bullshit about family loyalty." I met his eyes. "This face you're wearing now—this naked, greedy, I-want-to-devour-everything-in-my-path look? Keep it. Please. It's so much better than watching you pretend to be the Felix I used to know."
I let my smile widen. Cruel.
"At least now I don't have to waste energy wondering if there was ever any humanity in you."
Felix's expression went dark. Ugly. The mask slipping completely.
"Humanity?" He spat the word. "Don't make me sick. You think those ten years of playing the caring uncle were easy for me? You think I enjoyed pretending to give a shit about your pathetic problems?" He stepped closer, voice dropping to something vicious. "Every time you came crying to me about Lance, about Vanessa, about your worthless life—I wanted to throttle you. Every single time."
He was breathing hard now. Like the confession itself was a release.
"From start to finish, you stupid little shit, the only value you've ever had is the money sitting in your parents' accounts. That's it. That's all you are." His eyes gleamed. "But once I have those assets? Once I control that stock? I won't just become a major player in Lawson Capital—I'll become the player. I'll destroy Lance. Take everything he built. Everything he controls."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.
"And you? Pathetic. Weak. Incompetent." His smile was poison. "Honestly, Wesley, you're not even worth the effort of killing. You're that insignificant."
The words should have hurt. Should have cut deep, reinforced every insecurity I'd ever had.
Instead, I felt... nothing. Or maybe something worse than nothing—vindication. Clarity.
Because this was the real Felix. This was always who he'd been. And finally, finally, I could see him clearly.
I forced myself to laugh again. Louder this time. Let it build until it filled the warehouse.
"Oh, that's perfect," I said through the laughter. "That's just—wow. You really suffered, didn't you? Ten years of being nice to me. Ten years of pretending to care. Ten years of cleaning up my messes, answering my calls at 2 AM, playing the supportive uncle." I met his eyes, still smiling. "Must have been absolute torture."
His face twisted with fury.
"The thought of you—" I continued, voice bright with false cheer, "—gritting your teeth every time you had to help me. Forcing yourself to be patient. To be kind. To be there." I actually laughed again. "God, that's the best news I've heard all night. All those years of 'generosity'? You were miserable the entire time?"
I let my grin turn sharp. Mean.
"Good."
Felix's hands clenched. I'd hit a nerve.
Across the darkness, I caught Serena's eyes. She was staring at me with something like shock—probably wondering why I was antagonizing the man who held our lives in his hands.
I gave her the smallest look I could. A micro-expression that hopefully said: Trust me. I'm buying time.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Then, almost imperceptibly, she nodded.
Felix was starting to pace now. Agitated. Angry.
"Don't flatter yourself," he snarled. "You think any of those moments mattered? You think your problems were real enough to cause me actual pain?" He spun back toward me. "Let me tell you something about those 'sacrifices' I made."
His smile returned. Cruel. Triumphant.
"You remember when you were sixteen? Got caught with those drugs at that private school?" He moved closer. "You remember how grateful you were when I 'convinced' the headmaster to let you stay? How I told you Lance wanted you expelled, but I fought for you?"
My jaw clenched. Of course I remembered. It had been one of the defining moments of my adolescence—proof that Felix loved me and Lance wanted me gone.
"Want to know what actually happened?" Felix's voice was silk.