I stared at the files spread across the table, my breath coming in shallow bursts. My hands trembled as I flipped through the documents, each page revealing more than I was prepared for. Xavier had known about my father’s criminal dealings for years-long before my father’s death. But that wasn’t the worst part.
He’d planned to take over.
“All this time…” I whispered, disbelief coating my words. “You were waiting for him to fall.”
Behind me, Xavier’s voice was low, a dangerous edge beneath it. “I told you, Alyssa. This world has rules, and your father wasn’t following them anymore.”
I spun around, the papers clenched in my hands. “You knew! You knew everything-about my father, about the empire he built, and you kept it from me. You were planning to take it all.”
Xavier crossed the room, his expression cold and unreadable. “I did what I had to do. Your father was making enemies everywhere. If I hadn’t stepped in, everything your family built would have burned to the ground.”
I shook my head, anger boiling beneath my skin. “So you just waited for him to die? Or did you help push him toward it?”
Xavier’s eyes darkened. “Watch your words, Alyssa. You don’t know the full story.”
I slammed the papers down on the table. “Then tell me! If I’m already in this nightmare, at least let me understand why!”
He hesitated for a moment, his jaw clenching. “Your father… he was stubborn. He thought he could pull out of the game. But no one leaves, Alyssa. Not without paying the price.”
My mind reeled. I could feel the pieces of a puzzle shifting, but the picture still didn’t make sense. “And what about Ethan?” I demanded. “He was part of this too, wasn’t he? Did you two plan this together?”
Xavier’s lips curled in disdain. “Ethan is a liability. Always has been. I don’t need his help to win.”
I tried to steady my breath, but the betrayal stung deep. “You used me, Xavier. You’ve been using me this whole time.”
He stepped closer, his gaze burning into mine. “It’s not that simple, Alyssa. This is about survival. You were going to get dragged into this no matter what. At least with me, you have a fighting chance.”
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “You really think this is about survival? No, Xavier. This is about control. And you don’t care who gets hurt along the way-me, my father, anyone.”
He grabbed my wrist, not hard, but firm enough to send a message. “Don’t act like you’re innocent in this.
You’ve been playing your own game, haven’t you? Siding with me, with your uncle… even with Ethan at one point. You’re more like your father than you want to admit.”
His words hit harder than I expected. Was he right? Had I been playing everyone, just like my father once had? The lines between right and wrong were blurring, and I couldn’t tell if I was making decisions to survive-or to win.
I pulled away from Xavier’s grip and glanced back at the files on the table. One folder stood out, thicker than the rest. I hesitated, then opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
My breath hitched as I stared at the image. It was me-no older than five-standing between my father, Xavier, and Ethan. They were all in the same room, smiling like old friends.
“What the hell…” I whispered, my fingers tightening around the edges of the photo. My stomach dropped as a wave of nausea hit me. How had I never known about this?
Xavier’s expression shifted slightly, but he didn’t say a word.
“You were there,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “All of you were there. Together.”
I looked up at Xavier, my voice trembling with disbelief. “What is this? Why were you with my father-and with Ethan?”
Xavier exhaled slowly, his gaze heavy with something between regret and calculation. “You weren’t supposed to find that.”
I could barely hear him over the pounding of my heart. The photograph trembled in my hands as the implications started to sink in. This wasn’t just some rivalry between Xavier and Ethan. It was deeper than that. More personal.
“What are you not telling me, Xavier?” I demanded, the sharp edge of fear creeping into my voice. “What was my father involved in? And what does it have to do with me?”
Xavier’s silence stretched thin, like a rope about to snap. I could see the calculations in his eyes, the debate over how much he should reveal.
“It was always about more than just business, Alyssa,” he finally said, his voice low and cautious. “Your father, Ethan, and I… We were supposed to build something together. A legacy. But your father changed the plan.”
“Changed the plan how?” I pressed, my hands gripping the edge of the table to keep steady.
“He wanted out,” Xavier said simply. “He wanted to leave the empire behind and take you with him. But Ethan and I… We weren’t ready to let go.”
My head spun as the truth unraveled in front of me. My father had tried to escape this life-for me. But the others hadn’t let him.
“So you betrayed him,” I whispered, the weight of the revelation crushing me. “You and Ethan both. You let him die so you could take over.”
Xavier’s expression darkened, but he didn’t deny it. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. But things spiraled out of control. Ethan acted first. I had no choice but to follow.”
I felt like I was drowning. Everything I thought I knew about my father, about Ethan, even about Xavier, was a lie.
“And now you’re doing the same to me,” I muttered bitterly. “Using me to secure your place on top.”
Xavier stepped closer, his voice smooth but dangerous. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Alyssa. Not Ethan, not your uncle. But you have to trust me.”
I laughed, the sound bitter and broken. “Trust you? After everything I’ve seen tonight?”
Before Xavier could respond, my phone buzzed on the table, pulling me from the suffocating tension. I grabbed it, my pulse spiking when I saw the message on the screen.
It was from Ethan.
Come back to me, Alyssa, or I’ll burn everything Xavier’s built-and your uncle’s empire-with it.
A chill ran down my spine as the meaning behind Ethan’s words settled in. He knew. He knew about my alliances with Xavier and my uncle. He knew everything. And now he was threatening to tear it all down unless I returned to him.
Xavier leaned over my shoulder, reading the message. His jaw tightened, and I could feel the tension radiating off him like a storm about to break.
“You can’t go back to him,” Xavier said darkly. “If you do, you’ll destroy everything we’ve worked for.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of my choices pressing down on me like a vise. I was trapped between three dangerous men, each playing a game with stakes higher than I’d ever imagined.
And the worst part? I still didn’t know which side I was supposed to be on.
I stared down at the photograph of myself as a child-me, my father, Ethan, and Xavier, all smiling as if we were family. But that was the thing about family. You never knew where the love ended and the betrayal began.
I clutched the photo tightly, my heart racing. Somehow, I knew this was only the beginning.