Chapter 57 Not a threat.... A Warning
Sin
“I have a plan, but I’m not sure you’ll like it,” I said to Saint.
Saint snorted. “All your plans usually go to hell. No can do.”
“Why, thanks for the massive vote of confidence,” I shot back dryly.
Serena’s slender hand slid onto my thigh, sending a hot tendril of awareness straight to my cock.
“What’s the plan?” she asked softly, her voice instantly chasing away the tension.
I turned to face her. “We can’t hide you from the press today. It was easy enough with our mother, but you’re not someone we can just sweep out of the picture. You’ll come with us… but you’ll have your own lawyer.”
She blanched, her face draining of color, the exact opposite of the reaction I’d hoped for.
“I can’t afford a lawyer,” she whispered, looking away. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth like you two.”
My nostrils flared. Her words hit me like a personal insult. She underestimated who she was right now, the things we could do for her and the lengths we'd go for her.
Before I could stop myself, I moved. In one swift motion, I pressed her back against the leather seat, my body caging hers completely.
My face hovered a few inches from hers, our breaths mingling softly. “Don’t you ever dare talk about yourself like that again, Serena,” I intended to scold her, but the words came out in a growl instead.
“You don’t seem to realize what Saint and I would do in the blink of an eye for you.”
I leaned in closer, letting her feel the weight of my presence. “Saint has already contacted M&M Legal Tower, the most ruthless legal sharks in the country. When we’re involved, you have nothing, and I mean nothing, to worry about.”
Her lips parted, trembling as she tried to speak, but no words came out at first.
“What about Lara?” she finally managed, her voice small and uncertain. “As long as your father is alive, he’ll never accept me into your family. He has already announced the merger, and—”
“I decide if the merger holds,” I interrupted her gently. “I decide whether to honor the agreement. I haven’t signed anything yet.”
Serena’s breath hitched. “I can’t breathe,” she whispered, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Saint immediately dragged me off her. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? You can make your point without crushing her into the damn seat with your titan frame.”
I shoved Saint’s hands away, my focus never leaving her. “Serena, I didn’t mean to take your breath away like that. I forgot—”
“I’m small?” she finished for me, a cute, shaky grin flashing across her face.
I was about to respond when the driver’s voice cut through the intercom.“We’ve arrived home.”
Serena’s face instantly crumpled. She wasn’t ready for this, and it showed in every line of her expression.
All her earlier stubbornness melted away, replaced by raw, genuine fear that hit me straight in the gut.
“We’ll never let anything happen to you. You know that, right?” Saint said gently as we helped her out of the car.
She shrugged our hands off her shoulders, stubborn as ever, even when she was clearly terrified.
Saint and I didn't know what we'd meet inside, but we were hiding that uncertainty from her, to make her feel strong.
“Wasn’t she on the verge of tears just a few seconds ago?” Saint muttered under his breath as we hurried to catch up with her.
Even the security team exchanged confused glances behind us. Were we leading her into the compound… or was she leading us?
“Our legal team is waiting right inside. Slow down, Serena,” I called out.
She slowed, but only long enough for the massive gates to swing open. We had intentionally parked outside the compound, like I said, we didn’t know what we’d be walking into, and it felt safer this way.
It was too late by the time we noticed how wrong everything felt.
There was no swarm of press waiting outside like we’d expected. Instead, my father stood tall next to Christabel, nowhere near the recovery or medical supervision he was supposed to be under.
Our legal team? Nowhere in sight.
And then I saw her. Serena’s aunt stood just a few feet away, flanked by three towering cops… with her hands cuffed behind her back.
Christabel broke into a warm, almost motherly smile and started walking toward us with outstretched arms.
“Oh, my sons,” she cooed. “It’s so good to have you back home.”
Hold on… what the hell was this?
Before I could react, Christabel pulled me into a tight embrace, forcing my arms around her waist like we were one big happy family.
Her grip was deceptively strong. She then reached out and yanked Saint’s suit jacket, dragging him into the awkward three-way hug as well.
My body went rigid against hers.
“You two are such fools for thinking you could leave that easily,” she whispered sweetly, but there every word was packed with venom. “I am the matriarch of this family’s legacy. I don’t care what little tricks you have up your sleeves. Your father is mine. The family’s wealth is mine. Everything with the Rivers name in it belongs to me.”
I tried to pull away, but her sharp nails dug viciously into my back through my shirt, a silent warning not to move.
The pain was sharp enough to force me to stay still.
I could feel Saint stiffening beside me, his jaw clenched tight as he tried to discreetly twist out of her hold.
Christabel’s smile never wavered as she continued in that same soft, poisonous tone: “If you want your mother to see the breaking of dawn tomorrow, you must do exactly as I say.”
Her lips brushed against my ear. “Or she dies. It’s not a threat, my boys… it’s a warning.”