Chapter 20 (1)
Alexander
Two Months Ago
✪ +28 BONUS
After I took over the family business, I faced constant resistance. Many eyes were on the company, both openly and secretly. The endless deception became tiresome. The people I could trust grew fewer and fewer. Besides my loyal subordinates, the only ones I could rely on were my family.
Or so I thought.
The memory of it all haunted me. No matter how much the passed, I could still feel the bitter sting of betrayal, the bone–deep exhaustion of fighting for my life, and the gering grief of a promise made to a dying man. It had started with Susanna’s message, a simple plea for help that had thrown me into chaos.
I was in another city, halfway across the country, handling a deal that demanded my full attention. But the moment I saw her name on the screen, followed by the panicked plea for help, everything else faded into the background. Her message was brief but filled with urgency
Alexander, I need you. Please come.
My gut twisted as I read them, imagining the worst. I didn’t question it. I didn’t question her. I’d vowed to protect her, hadn’t I? She was my wife, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was in some kind of danger. I dropped everything and rushed to her location, my mind racing with possibilities.
I left everything behind that day, calling for my men to prepare for immediate departure. I barely slept on the long drive to my plane, my mind racing with possibilities, each worse than the last, as the city’s lights blurred past. Had something happened to her? Was she in danger?
Then it happened. My car was ambushed on the dark highway, quickly and without mercy. The gray sedan appearing out of nowhere, bullets shattering glass, and with the sole aim of ending my life. My guards fought back fiercely as they chased us, the car jerking and swerving through the night until we finally managed to escape The relief of reaching the plane felt fleeting, as if I had known somewhere deep inside that the worst was still to
come.
And it did.
Mid–flight, Barry, my head guard, gave me a grim revelation: the plane crew weren’t ours. Hijackers were posing as staff, and now they were holding us hostage in the skies, What followed was a desperate fight for survival. I and my guards fought for our lives, Barry leading the charge, but in the process, one of the hijackers shot at the plane controls, disabling the plane and bringing us down.
The next thing I knew, I was stranded on an island, bruised and battered, with only the surviving guards as protection. Barry, my most loyal, lay dying, his injuries too severe. His final request was a plea I couldn’t refuse.
I could still see him, lying on the sand, his breathing shallow, his face pale. He gripped my hand tightly, weak but determined. “Promise me, sir. Promise you’ll take care of my family–my wife, my daughter.”
10
his voice
“I promise,” I whispered, my throat tight with emotion. It was a promise I intended to keep, no matter the cost. He died shortly after, leaving me with a sense of loss I hadn’t felt in years. He had been more than a bodyguard had been a friend, someone I trusted without question. His death was an unfair reminder of how fragile life co be and how easily trust could be shattered.
By the time my backup team arrived, I had pieced together enough of the puzzle to realize the truth. Susanna’s message hadn’t been a cry for help; it had been a trap. Whether she had orchestrated it herself or simply been a pawn, I couldn’t be sure, but her involvement was undeniable. It was a betrayal that cut deeper than any knife,
Chapter 20 (1) 2017)
leaving me questioning everything I thought I knew about Ber.
Something fundamental had shifted in me. The attack on the highway, the hijacking–it all felt too effortless for my attackers. I hadn’t even suspected a thing. How had the managed to access my location so easily? How long had they known about the location of my plane to be able to switch out my staff? Even though Susanna had made the call that baited me into leaving the city, she wasn’t working alone. I was sure of it.
Someone within my family, someone with enough access and influence, had conspired with her to take me out. I was flown back to my city for my infected injuries to be treated by professionals but instead of rushing back to my family, I hesitated. I needed answers to the questions that were haunting my days and nights.
I ordered my men to watch over my family members and observe their behavior, especially Susanna, whose call had started this whole mess.
I couldn’t go back home–not yet. My trust in those closest to me had been shaken to its core, and I couldn’t face my family until I knew who I could trust. So, I stayed away, moving from place to place, always looking over my shoulder. My men obeyed my orders and kept watch over my family, reporting back to me regularly. I wanted to believe that some part of what I had left behind was still salvageable, but I couldn’t take any chances. Daniel was my trusted assistant. We secretly swapped identities, so when all the information about Alexander came from Daniel, it was actually coming from me. I’m closely observing my family’s reactions to it.
I used the time to plan my next move, to ensure that when I returned, I would be in control of the situation. My enemies had made one critical mistake: they’d left me breathing. And I was going to make them pay for it.
Chapter 20 (2)
Chapter 20 (2)
Alexander
Present Day
+25 BONUS
My estate home sat in a strange kind of quiet, the kind of silence that wasn’t peaceful but expectant, like the air before a storm. I sat by the large window overlooking the driveway, the sunlight slicing through the curtains in golden streaks. A blanket covered my legs. The wheelchair carrying me had been carefully chosen for the role I was now playing. My wound had long slunce healed; I didn’t need the chair anymore as my leg no longer ached. But the wheelchair was a weapon now, a carefully chosen tool for deception.
Florence, the head of my household staff, stood to my side, her tablet in hand. Her polished bearing betrayed a trace of concern as she delivered the news. “Sir,” she said, her voice soft. “The news of your rescue has been leaked to the family.”
I nodded slowly, turning the chair slightly to face her. The golden light from the window cast shadows on her face, highlighting the faint worry lines on her brow.
“Good,” I said, keeping my voice cool.
“You don’t need that chair anymore, sir.” Her lips pressed together, a hesitation there, as though she was weighing her words before speaking. Her fingers tightened around the tablet. “Are you certain about this… portrayal? The family will see right through it if-”
“They won’t,” I interrupted, my tone firm. I let the corner of my mouth lift in a faint, humorless smile. “They’ll see what they want to see. Whoever orchestrated this thought I was too powerful to deal with directly. This?” I gestured to the chair. “Coming back like this will make them think they’ve won. That I’m weaker now.” I adjusted the blanket, draping it carefully. “They’ll pity me. Underestimate me. And that is exactly what I need.”
She nodded slowly, though her brows knitted with unease. Changing the subject, I asked, “And my family? What’s their response so far?”
Florence hesitated, glancing at her tablet. I saw the faint crease of her lips, the way her shoulders stiffened as though bracing herself.
“Florence,” I said, my tone sharp. “Just say it.”
Her shoulders dropped slightly, and she exhaled. “They all looked surprised and promised they would come over soon.” She paused, searching for the right words. “But there’s no record of their setting off, no flight bookings, no contact with the hospital to inquire about your condition, and no communication with the media to announce your return…”
A low chuckle escaped my lips, one laced with bitterness. I expected nothing less from the den of vipers called the Remingtons. “Sounds like they’ve been busy. Of course, now that I’m back, they’ll want to cover up the money they’ve taken during my absence. Even if I didn’t agree, they wouldn’t want to return.”
Florence’s lips twitched in what might’ve been an almost smile, but she quickly composed herself, tapping her tablet again. “There is one exception. Your brother Conrad’s office reached out. They requested your location. It’s possible he intends to visit.”
Conrad. That gave me pause. Out of all of them, my younger brother was the last person I’d expect to reach out so soon. He’d always kept himself out of the family’s tangled web, preferring the safety of his corporate world. I ha thought he would wait to see what the rest of the family would do before deciding whether or not to come see me.
The distant rumble of an engine caught both of our attention. I shifted in my chair, watching as a sleek silver Porsche pulled into the long driveway.
Chapter 20 (2)
“That must be him,” Florence murmured, stepping closer the window. “He certainly got here fast.”
+25 BONUS
1 straightened, bracing myself for whatever might come though that door. Conrad would bring sympathy and concern, maybe even a veiled waming or two about the rest of the family. I could already imagine the thin–lipped smile and bumbling questions about my wellbeing he’d ask
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hall, and I turned my chair toward the door. When it burst open, I
froze.
It wasn’t Conrad.
It was Abigail, his wife.
Her presence filled the room like a gust of wind, her emerald green eyes locking onto mine. I hadn’t considered she would come. She stopped abruptly at the sight of me in the wheelchair, her gaze dropping to the blanket covering my legs
I steeled myself for what I knew would come next. Pity. The sharp edge of sadness, perhaps even guilt. I’d seerl it before, the way people’s eyes softened, their smiles turning faintly condescending. But what I saw instead caught me off guard.
Relief.
It shone in her eyes, so bright it was undeniable, and softened the sharp lines of her face. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was on the verge of speaking, but instead, she moved.
In three long strides, she was in front of me, and before I could react, she was there, pulling me into a crushing embrace. Her arms wrapped around me with a force that made my ribs ache. For a moment, I was too stunned to move. Her hair, soft and faintly scented with something floral, brushed against my cheek. My hands hovered uncertainly before I slowly let them rest against her back.
Her voice, thick with emotion, broke the silence. “Alexander,” she whispered, pulling back just enough to look at me. Tears clung to her lashes, and her expression was so open, so painfully raw, that I didn’t know where to look “You’re home,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’re really home.”
I didn’t know what to say. Abigail and I had shared years of civil familiarity, our relationship ending and stopping at the fact that she was my brother’s bride. We had never spoken much beyond a few words of greeting and jokes the few times we met. She was polite, but reserved, the kind of woman who didn’t really open up until you’d known her for a long time. Abigail had never been one for open displays of affection, least of all with me. Yet here she was, holding me as though I might slip away.
“Abigail,” I managed, my voice rougher than I intended. “It’s good to be back.”
“We thought we’d lost you,” she said with a watery smile as she let me go. Her sincerity rattled me. I’d prepared for schemes and for calculated moves. But this? This was something I couldn’t have anticipated.
I gave her a grin. “It’ll take more than a plane crash to take me out.”
Her smile widened, though her eyes still glistened with tears. “Really,” she said, her voice steadying. “It’s good to have you home.”
I stared at her, searching her face for some hint of calculation behind her action. But there was nothing. Just unguarded relief and a happiness so genuine it left me off balance. This was an unguarded version of Abigail I had
never seen.
“Thank you,” I said finally, the words heavy in my mouth.
2/3
Chapter 20 (2)
As she stepped back, her gaze lingered on me, studying me unfamiliar pang in my chest, something too complicated
