Chapter 86: Brothers Bound

Chapter 86: Brothers Bound


The press conference was supposed to end Nathaniel.

That was Victor’s design that he had carefully planned, perfectly timed. The leaked financial documents had already done their damage. Screens were filled with charts, numbers highlighted in red, words like irregularities, suspicious transfers, and internal misconduct repeated until they felt like truth.

Nathaniel name trended everywhere.

Just enough doubt to poison everything he touched.

Bella watched the news from her apartment, sitting on the edge of the couch with her laptop balanced on her knees. Clara slept in the next room, unaware of how loudly the world was shaking. Every headline felt like another strike aimed at the fragile order Bella had fought to build.

She knew Nathaniel was being framed.

That almost made it worse.

Because the truth didn’t matter in moments like this. Perception did. And Victor Hale understood that better than anyone.

Bella refreshed the livestream link with trembling fingers.

The press conference at Nathaniel company was about to begin.

The room on screen was crowded, louder than usual. Reporters packed shoulder to shoulder, cameras raised high, voices overlapping as speculation buzzed through the air. Everyone expected damage control. Everyone expected excuses.

What they didn’t expect was Marcus.

When Marcus walked into the room, the noise dipped instantly. He didn’t rush. He didn’t smile. He wore a dark suit, clean lines, calm posture. A man who looked like he belonged at the center of power.

Bella leaned closer to the screen.

Then the murmurs exploded.

Nathaniel walked in behind him.

He stood beside Marcus.

Bella’s breath caught painfully in her chest.

Nathaniel looked tired. His face was drawn, his eyes darker than usual, but his back was straight. He didn’t look like a man that has being framed.

Marcus stepped to the podium. The room erupted with questions, flashes bursting like small explosions. Marcus raised one hand, in certainty.

“My brother is innocent,” he said.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Bella’s heart slammed hard against her ribs.

Marcus didn’t pause. “The information released yesterday was manipulated. Taken out of context. Designed to create suspicion rather than reveal truth.”

A reporter shouted, “Are you denying all allegations?”

“I am stating facts,” Marcus replied evenly. “Full financial records have already been submitted to independent auditors, regulators, and the court. We have nothing to hide.”

Another voice cut in. “Then why did you distance yourself from him earlier?”

The question landed like a blade.

Marcus’s jaw tightened. For a moment, something human crossed his face, regret, maybe shame. Bella saw it. She wondered if anyone else did.

“That decision was mine,” Marcus said after a beat. “And it was wrong.”

The room stirred.

“I thought staying from each other would protect each other company,” he continued. “Instead, it created space for deception.”

Bella swallowed hard.

Marcus turned slightly, gesturing toward Nathaniel. “Nathaniel has spent the last year repairing vulnerabilities that existed long before this leak. The same work now being twisted against him is the reason this company survived far worse threats.”

Nathaniel stepped forward then.

He didn’t look at the cameras. He didn’t look at the reporters.

He looked straight ahead.

“I won’t pretend I’ve lived perfectly,” he said. His voice was calm, but there was no polish left on it. “I made mistakes. Personal ones. I crossed lines I should not have.”

Bella’s fingers tightened against the edge of the couch.

“But I did not steal,” Nathaniel continued. “I did not manipulate records. I did not betray this company. And I will not allow lies to break what I am finally trying to fix.”

A reporter shouted, “Are you saying this is a family dispute?”

Nathaniel didn’t answer.

Marcus did.

“This is about truth,” Marcus said firmly. “And about loyalty.”

Loyalty.

The word echoed loudly in Bella’s chest.

Questions came fast after that. Sharp ones. Accusations disguised as curiosity. Attempts to separate them, to force contradiction.

It didn’t work.

Every time a reporter aimed at Nathaniel, Marcus stepped in. Every time Marcus paused, Nathaniel supported him without hesitation. They didn’t interrupt each other. They didn’t compete.

They stood together as brothers.

When the livestream ended, Bella closed her laptop slowly. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes were dry. Something inside her felt painfully.

Victor hadn’t counted on this.

That made it dangerous.

Nathaniel showed up at her door later that evening.

Bella didn’t open it right away.

She stood there, listening to his breathing on the other side, the quiet weight of him filling the hallway.

“I didn’t know Marcus would do that,” she said through the door.

“I didn’t either,” Nathaniel replied softly.

She opened it just enough to see him. He looked exhausted. Older. Like the cost of the day had finally settled on his shoulders.

“I never asked him to protect me,” he said. “But he did.”

Bella crossed her arms, unsure what she felt. “That doesn’t erase the damage.”

“I know,” Nathaniel said quickly. “But it changes the direction.”

She studied him carefully. Not as the man she once loved. Not as the man who had failed her.

As a man changing.

Slowly. Painfully.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, “standing there today took courage.”

Nathaniel shook his head. “It took fear.”

That almost made her smile.

Almost.

After he left, Bella sat beside Clara’s bed, watching her daughter sleep. Clara’s tiny hand curled near her face, peaceful and unaware.

Bella touched her gently.

The world was splitting into sides. Lines were hardening. Marcus and Nathaniel had chosen unity.

Victor would not let that stand.



Victor sat at a private table, glass untouched in front of him.

Elena joined him, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She looked sharper than before. Leaner. Her eyes burned with restless energy.

“They stood together,” Elena said. “Publicly.”

Victor nodded. “Predictable.”

“And Bella?” Elena asked.

Victor’s mouth curved slightly. “Still standing.”

Elena laughed under her breath. “Good. Breaking strong women is boring.”

Victor leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Then we need to stop bothering.”

He slid a slim folder toward her.

Elena opened it.

Her smile faded.

“You’re serious,” she whispered.

Victor met her gaze calmly. “It’s time to stop pressuring the men.”

Elena’s fingers tightened around the folder. “This goes too far, those two are still my sons”

Victor’s voice dropped. “Nothing goes too far when leverage stops
working.”

Silence stretched between them.

Elena looked up slowly. “If this comes out”

“It will,” Victor said. “Exactly when I want it to.”

Elena hesitated.

Then she nodded.