Chapter 13 Something new
CHAPTER 13
Something new
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, the kind that usually brought Leo Carter a sense of calm—routine, efficiency, control. But this evening, nothing felt steady. His mind was still replaying Ruby’s pale face, the way her small frame felt weightless in his arms when Blake discharged her. Her voice trembled when she asked where she was… her eyes wide with fear. He had carried her to the mansion himself. And now she was somewhere inside those marble walls trying to rest, trying to heal… while his world insisted on pulling him back into chaos.
Leo stepped into the corridor of the 42nd floor. Carter Enterprises’ headquarters glowed with its usual luxury—black marble floors, glass walls, soft gold lighting, everything screaming wealth and power. Assistants straightened when he passed. Secretaries murmured greetings. He didn’t respond; didn’t need to. His presence alone demanded silence.
But as he approached his office, the calm shattered instantly.
Because someone was sitting in his chair.
Not just anyone.
Trent.
Leo froze for a second—not out of shock, but out of irritation so deep it tasted metallic in his mouth.
Trent lounged behind the massive mahogany desk like he owned the place. Legs crossed, sunglasses on indoors, scrolling through something on Leo’s tablet as if he had the right.
Leo’s jaw flexed.
Not today. Not him. Not just now.
He stepped forward slowly, shutting the office door behind him with a deliberate click.
“What,” Leo said, his voice a low warning, “do you think you’re doing in my chair?”
Trent looked up, a grin already plastered on his face, the kind that had gotten him out of trouble his whole life. The kind that made Leo want to break something.
“There he is,” Trent sang, spreading his arms wide. “My lovely big brother.”
The word lovely dropped into the air like poison.
Leo’s nostrils flared. “Don’t call me that.”
Trent shrugged dramatically. “You always get sensitive when I show affection.”
“Get out of my chair.” Leo’s tone left no room for debate.
But Trent never cared about tone.
He spun once in the swivel chair and came to a stop, his feet propped casually on Leo’s desk.
“Nope. Not until we talk.”
Leo took a slow breath. “Fine. Say it. What do you want?”
Trent removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes that were too similar to Leo’s for comfort—dark, sharp, calculating. But unlike Leo’s, Trent’s always held a spark of mischief, recklessness… manipulation.
“I need money.”
Leo didn’t blink, of course. That was always the story.
“How much?” Leo asked in a flat voice.
Trent pretended to think. “Hm. Let’s say… twenty million.”
Leo laughed under his breath—the kind of laugh that carried no humor. “Twenty million? For what? Another car you’ll crash? Another nightclub investment that burns down mysteriously? Another vacation because you’re bored of actually doing something with your life?”
Trent rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. It’s business.”
“You don’t do business.” Leo said sharply
Trent sat forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Maybe not your kind. But I will try. Or I would—if our dear father wasn’t determined to ruin my life.”
Leo leaned against the glass wall behind him, crossing his arms. “What does Dad have to do with this?”
“He refused,” Trent said simply.
Leo pushed off the wall. “Refused what?”
“To give me the money,” Trent said, like it was the most unreasonable thing in the world. “He said I need to grow up. Work for it. Earn something for once in my life.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
Leo almost admired their father for that.
“And so,” Trent continued, flicking invisible dust off Leo’s desk, “I’m here. Because my lovely big brother would never turn his back on family.”
This time Leo didn’t hide the annoyance.
“Stop saying lovely, Trent.”
“What? Why?” Trent spread his arms innocently. “You are lovely. Beautiful, actually. Majestic, even. Our family’s golden child—”
“Enough.” Leo’s voice cracked through the room like a whip.
Trent smirked.
“There it is. The famous Carter temper.”
“Get to the point,” Leo growled. “Why would you think I’d give you money after everything you’ve done?”
Trent blinked. “Because you have it.”
Leo stared at him, stunned for a moment at the pure entitlement dripping from the words.
“That’s your reason?” Leo asked quietly.
“Because I have it?”
Trent frowned, offended by Leo’s disbelief. “Well, yeah. You’re rich. I’m not. Balance, brother. Family should help the family.”
Leo took slow, deliberate steps to the desk. Trent stopped smiling as Leo leaned down, palms pressing onto the polished wood, meeting his brother’s eyes directly.
“Listen carefully,” Leo said in a low, icy voice. “I worked for what I have. I bled for it. Sacrificed for it. You? You play, you party, you waste. And every time someone says no, you come running to me expecting me to fix your mess.”
Trent’s jaw twitched.
Leo continued.
“What happened this time? Another debt collector at your door? Another investment gone wrong? Another girlfriend draining your accounts?”
Trent looked away.
Leo’s chest tightened with anger.
“How much trouble are you in, Trent?”
“None of your business.”
Leo straightened. “Then the answer is no.”
“What?” Trent shot to his feet. “Leo, come on—”
“No,” Leo repeated sharply. “Not this time.”
Trent laughed in disbelief. “You won’t give your own brother a dime?”
“Not a dime,” Leo said coldly. “Not a cent. Not even the dust from my wallet. If you want money, Trent, then work and earn it.”
Trent’s expression shifted—annoyed, then hurt, then angry.
“Work?” he spat. “You want me to work like those people downstairs? In cubicles? Wearing suits like robots?”
Leo raised a brow. “You think work is beneath you?”
“I think it’s beneath us,” Trent said fiercely. “We weren’t raised to struggle—”
“No,” Leo cut in sharply. “You weren’t raised at all. You were spoiled. By Mom, by Dad and even by me.”
Trent froze.
Leo exhaled deeply. “But it ends now.”
Trent stepped around the desk, eyes narrowing. “You think you’re better than me.”
“I am better than you,” Leo replied calmly. “Because I take responsibility. You run from it.”
“You think Dad loves you more.”
“No,” Leo said softly. “Dad expects more from me. He gave me company. He gave me the future. You… he gave freedom. And you abused it.”
Trent’s face hardened. “So this is who you are now? Cold? Heartless?”
“I’m practical.”
“You’re selfish!”
Leo stared at him. “Says the man who only ever comes to me when he wants something.”
Trent’s face twisted. “You’re acting like some saint, Leo, but you’re not perfect. You think you’re better than everyone. You hide behind your suits and money and—”
“And what?” Leo stepped forward slowly. “Say it.”
Trent swallowed.
“You’re lonely,” he whispered. “Cold. Untouchable. You love money more than people. And one day, you’ll realize you pushed everyone away because you we
re too obsessed with being perfect.”
Leo didn’t react, even though the words stung—because Trent wasn’t entirely wrong.