Brian's POV
As my parents argued above me, my mind raced through possibilities. Who had access to those records? Who would want to destroy me like this? Why tonight of all nights?
"Father only agreed to help us push Adam out because he disapproved of Adam's methods, because his reputation was tarnished, and because of his disability," my father said, his voice bitter.
"But now look at the situation. Adam has rehabilitated his image, he's tripled GT Group's value, and my son..." He glared down at me. "My son is a fraud who can't even keep his lies straight."
Adam. That fucking cripple. Always the golden boy, even when he fell from grace.
"I'll fix it," I muttered, still kneeling but staring at the floor, in my imagination it was Adam's face beneath my gaze. "I just need another chance."
I'll fix you, you sanctimonious prick. I'll destroy everything you love.
"Another chance?" My father laughed, the sound scraping my ears like broken glass. "You've had nothing but chances. And now you've managed to embarrass not just yourself but our entire family. Do you have any idea how many calls I've received already? The video of your meltdown is all over social media."
Meltdown? I was fucking set up! Anyone would have reacted the same way!
My mother stepped forward, her perfect features arranged in that calculating expression I knew too well. "Brian, you need to apologize to your father. Then we can discuss how to handle this situation."
I wanted to scream. Apologize? For what? For being publicly humiliated?
"I'm sorry, Dad," I forced myself to say, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. "I was out of line earlier. Please forgive me."
Forgive me for pointing out the truth about your bastard status, you mean?
My father stared at me for a long moment before nodding curtly. "Get up. Sit down. We need to talk."
I rose stiffly, biting the inside of my cheek as the movement pulled at the welts on my back. The pain only fueled my anger as I took a seat across from him.
"Do you know who owns the Santorini Resort?" he asked abruptly.
The question caught me off guard. What did that have to do with anything? "Some hospitality group, I assume. Why does that matter now?"
"And do you know where the information that was displayed on that screen came from? How someone got access to all those confidential documents?"
A chill ran down my spine. Was he suggesting what I thought he was? "No, I don't. But I'll find out, and they'll pay for—"
"It was Adam," my father interrupted flatly.
The name hit me like a physical blow. Adam. Of course it was fucking Adam. My vision blurred with hatred as every humiliating moment from the evening crystallized into a single point of rage directed at my cousin.
"What?" I managed to say, though I'd heard him perfectly.
"The Santorini Resort is one of Adam's properties," he explained, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "He bought it through a series of shell companies two years ago. And those documents—the only people who had access to them were the administration and our family."
That fucking snake. That limping, manipulative piece of garbage.
"That bastard," I whispered, my hands curling into fists as understanding dawned. "The hundreds of millions I've spent there over the years... it all went to him?"
Every bottle of champagne I'd bought. Every lavish dinner. Every private cabana rented for extravagant parties. All of it had been lining Adam's pockets while he plotted against me.
"Yes," my father confirmed. "And tonight, he used your favorite playground to destroy you."
Red-hot rage surged through me, obliterating rational thought. "I'll kill him," I snarled, meaning every word. "I swear to God, I'll—"
"You'll do nothing of the sort," my mother cut in sharply. "This little display tonight wasn't just about humiliating you, Brian. It was a calculated move against our entire family."
I barely heard her. In my mind, I was already imagining all the ways I could make Adam suffer. I'd take everything from him—his company, his reputation, that stuck-up bitch he'd married...
Stella. This is probably about her too. She's always been a thorn in my side.
"Your mother is right," my father agreed, cutting through my violent fantasies. "Adam didn't just make you look like a fool—he made the Lancaster name a laughingstock. That's something Father won't forgive easily."
My father's words penetrated the fog of rage as I realized there was a strategic angle here.
Adam thinks he's so clever, but he's made a huge mistake. Grandfather values the Lancaster name above all else.
"So I should talk to Grandfather?" I asked, a plan already forming. "Show him how Adam is attacking the family?"
My father nodded. "Exactly. Adam may have gained ground in the business world, but he's made a strategic error by targeting the family's reputation. Use that."
A cold smile spread across my face as pieces fell into place. Adam might have won this battle, but he'd just handed me the ammunition for the war.
"I understand," I said, my rage crystallizing into something harder, more focused. "Consider it done."
Enjoy your victory while it lasts, cousin. I'm coming for everything you have.
Stella's POV
Sunlight streaming through the enormous windows woke me. I groaned, feeling like every muscle in my body had been thoroughly worked over.
God, I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Twice.
No matter how many times we'd been together, the intensity of being with Adam always left me feeling simultaneously exhilarated and exhausted. I lay still for a few moments, allowing my body to adjust to consciousness, before finally attempting to sit up.
The movement sent a dull ache through my lower back, and I winced, reaching instinctively toward the bedside table for water. Before my hand could complete the journey, a glass appeared in front of me, the water inside at the perfect temperature—not too cold to shock my system, but cool enough to be refreshing.
Adam sat on the edge of the bed, already fully dressed in a crisp button-down shirt and tailored slacks. His laptop was open beside him, work emails filling the screen, but his attention was focused entirely on me.
"Thank you," I murmured, accepting the glass and taking a long sip. The simple gesture—that he had remembered my habit of needing water first thing in the morning—shouldn't have affected me so deeply, but it did.
"More?" he asked when I finished, already reaching for the carafe he'd apparently placed on the nightstand.
For a moment, my sleep-addled brain misinterpreted his question, and I felt my eyes widen in horror. There was no way my body could handle another round of what we'd done last night—not yet, anyway.
Adam's lips twitched, a rare look of amusement crossing his face as he recognized my train of thought. "Stella, what exactly are you thinking about?"
"Nothing!" I replied too quickly, feeling heat rush to my cheeks and the tips of my ears. "I wasn't thinking anything!"
Great job, Stella. Very convincing.
"I was just asking if you wanted more water," Adam clarified, that hint of a smile still playing around his mouth.
"I knew that," I muttered, avoiding hi s eyes. "Of course that's what you meant."
Under my breath, I added, "You were thinking what I was thinking..."
Adam's smile broadened into something almost playful as he set down the water carafe and reached for me, his fingers gently lifting my chin. I could tell he was about to kiss me, and I quickly raised my hand to block his approach.
"I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" I protested, mortified at the thought of morning breath.
Instead of being deterred, Adam simply captured my hand and pressed a gentle kiss to my palm. "I told you before, I don't mind," he said, his voice low and intimate in a way that sent shivers down my spine despite my exhaustion.