Chapter 96
NATHAN
That bastard couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I clenched my fists against the steering wheel, shaking with anger. My chest felt tight, every breath shallow as 1 replayed Alex’s words in front of Raina. He’d seen me, no doubt about it. The question wasn’t if it was what. Did he have anything concrete? Proof? Evidence he could use to tum her against me?
My stomach churned. What would I even say if he did? Could I explain it away? Or had Alex already poisoned her against me?
I pulled at my hair in frustration, groaning under my breath. No. If Alex had said anything, Raina would we confronted me. She wasn’t the type to sit on something like that. But then why did she insist we couldn’t resume our relationship?
I stared at my phone, thumb hovering over the screen. Her photo stared back at me–a candid shot she didn’t know I had taken. It wasn’t recent, either. This was from years ago, back when I first heard about her divorce. Not that it was only then I knew her though
I had wanted to approach her then. God, I had been so close. But there was no confirmed connection to the Grahams at the time, no reason to insert myself into her life. Not yet, anyway.
My plan had been slow and deliberate, Painstakingly so. Aligning myself with people who mattered to her family positioning myself exactly where I needed to be. But Raina? the one piece of this puzzle hadn’t anticipated falling for.
And now Alex was screwing everything up.
Years ago, I’d only suspected who she was. The resemblance to Dominic was subtle, but it nagged at me. When I finally confirmed that she was his sister, everything clicked into place. My plan began to form, but I couldn’t rush it. I’d learned to be patient, calculated. The Grahams hadn’t announced hør yet, hadn’t exposed her existence to the world. Instead, they’d hidden her away, sending her off somewhere far from prying eyes.
–
That forced me to shift tactics. My initial idea–working directly under Graham Corporation was too risky. If Dominic spotted me, my cover would be blown. So, I embedded myself in one of their allied companies, close enough to monitor their movements but far enough to stay out of Dominic’s line of
sight.
It was excruciatingly slow. Every step was deliberate, every move carefully calculated. But I knew the results would be worth it. I’d sworn to kill them and take it all back. To make them all pay for what they did. Every best one of them.
Except Baina
I hadn’t–anticipated her. She wasn’t supposed to matter. But as the years went by, as I watched her, something changed. She wasn’t just a piece on the board anymore, she became the centerpiece of my life. I couldn’t get enough of her.
She could only be mine. I wanted her before and I still wanted har now.
1 touched my lips, a slow smile spreading across my face. The memory of her kiss lingered, and I whispered to myself, “Soon, those lips won’t be the only thing I’ll have. All of her will be mine.”
My phone buzzed, jolting me from my thoughts. For a brief moment, I thought it was Raina, but the name on the screen soured my mood. Of course, it wasn’t her.
It was that whining bitch who refused to leave me alone. Who didn’t understand the meaning to boundaries.
Her constant meddling was becoming a liability. She had been useful initially, Instrumental in helping me set up certain parts of the plan, but her constant poke nosing was always getting me found out. And now, Alex knew I’d met with a woman last night.
I ignored the call and drove off, my grip Lightening on the wheel with each passing thought. By the time I arrived at the base, my frustration was simmering beneath the surface.
My uncle greeted me with a curious look as I stepped inside. “Back so soon?” be remarkod, his tone laced with suspicion.
1 shrugged, brushing past him. “Didn’t have much to do,” I replied cuntly, beading toward my rooms.
Before I could leave the room entirely, his voice stopped me “Is the plan going well?” He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway. “We need to crank things up before anyone catches on.”
Isighed heavily and took a sear, running a hand through my hair. “I thought Raina would have made things official by now,” I admitted. “We could’ve been working toward putting a ring on her linger already, but her damn ex–hushand keeps interfering. And I think he’s starting to suspect me, which complicates things.”
My uncle’s expression darkened. “That’s exactly why you need to move faster,” he urged, his voice firm. The longer this drags on, the greater the risk of exposure.”
I nodded, his words hitting home. “I’ll handle it,” Lassured him, though the weight of the situation pressed heavier on my shoulders. Handling things was easier said than done.
1/2
+25 Bonus
My uncle passed me a file, and I opened it, scanning the damage done to the Vince Project’s supply chain. It wasn’t as bad as I’d hoped, I frowned, looking up at him. “Any reaction from the Grahams? Since the Sullivans are handling the supply, we were hoping to shake things up, get Alex out of the picture.”
2/2
