Chapter 156
Christiana’s POV
The day had started perfectly. Business was flourishing like never before. My team had just closed another massive deal, and the gallery expansion project was moving faster than expected. Even Ethan and Emma had been in high spirits lately. Emma’s giggles filled the suite every morning, and Ethan had finally stopped asking so many questions about Alex’s absence.
Yet, even with everything falling into place, something felt… off.
It wasn’t the gallery. It wasn’t the twins. It was Alex.
He was in Dubai, dealing with what he’d called an “urgent work situation.” At first, I’d been furious when I couldn’t reach him for three days. But when he finally picked up, the sound of his voice melted my anger into worry. Alex was calm…too calm, like he was trying to hide something.
The man I knew wasn’t just distant; he was burdened. And no matter how much I pressed, he refused to open up.
That nagging feeling had stayed with me all morning, growing stronger by the hour. By the time the twins were down for their afternoon nap, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers.
I paced the living room, clutching my phone tightly. My thumb hovered over Sebastian’s name. Alex’s half–brother might not have been my first choice for this conversation, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he knew more than he let on.
With a deep breath, I tapped the call button and brought the phone to my ear. It rang twice before Sebastian’s smooth, slightly amused voice came through.
“Christiana,” he said, drawing out my name. “To what do I owe this surprise?”
I wasn’t in the mood for his usual charm. “Sebastian, I need you to be honest with me.”
His tone shifted instantly, the lightness gone. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Alex,” I said, sinking onto the couch. My fingers gripped the armrest as I tried to steady my voice. “Something’s not right with him. He’s in Dubai, and when we spoke, I could tell he wasn’t okay. He’s hiding something, and I need to know what it is.”
There was a long pause on the other end, and I could almost hear Sebastian debating with himself.
“Sebastian,” I pressed, my voice firm. “If you know something, you need to tell me. Please.”
He sighed heavily, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter, almost reluctant. “Christiana, you’re not going to like this.”
“Just tell me,” I demanded, my heart pounding in my chest.
“It’s Daniel Brooks,” he said, his words landing like a hammer. “He’s targeting Alex.”
I froze, my mind racing. “What? Why?”
“Because of you,” Sebastian said bluntly. “Daniel’s been holding a grudge against Alex ever since you turned him down. He’s been making me to topple Alex’s company, publicly humiliate him, and now… he’s coming after him personally.”
My grip on the phone tightened, my knuckles turning white. “You’re telling me this is all because of me?”
“Yes,” Sebastian admitted, his tone heavy, “Alex told me Daniel sees him as an obstacle, someone standing in the he wants. And what he wants is
you, Christiana.”
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”
I shot to my feet, my chest heaving as a wave of fury crashed over me. “That arrogant bastard,” I hissed, my nails digging into my palm. “How dare he? How dare he go after Alex like this
Sebastian’s voice softened. “Alex didn’t want you to know. He thought he could handle it on his own. But the truth is… he’s scared, Christiana. Scared of losing you.”
Those words hit me harder than anything else Sebastian had said. Alex, the man who always seemed so strong, so unshakable, was scared. And it was because of me.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” I whispered, more to myself than to Sebastian.
“Because he loves you,” Sebastian said simply. “And he doesn’t want you caught in the crossfire.”
I closed my eyes, the weight of his words settling over me like a storm cloud. My heart ached for Alex, for the burden he’d been carrying alone. And then, just as quickly, that ache turned into anger…raw, unfiltered rage directed at the man responsible for all of this.
“I won’t let Daniel get away with this,” I said, my voice shaking with determination.
Sebastian hesitated. “Christiana, don’t do anything reckless. Alex is already under enough pressure.”
“Reckless?” snapped. “No, Sebastian. What’s reckless is letting someone like Daniel think he can toy with people’s lives. He’s gone too far, and I won’t stand by and let him destroy Alex.” Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
There was silence on the other end of the line, and then Sebastian said, “Just… be careful, Christiana. Alex needs you, now more than ever.”
“I know,” I said quietly, my resolve hardening. “And I’m not going to let him down.”
As I ended the call, my reflection caught my eye in the mirror across the room. My expression was one I barely recognized… fierce, determined, and unyielding.
My heart raced as I tossed my phone onto the couch and began pacing back and forth across the living room. My bare feet padded against the hardwood floor, but I hardly noticed. My thoughts were too loud, too chaotic.
Daniel Brooks.
The same Daniel I had once thought of as a good friend. The man who’d come to me, broken and vulnerable, begging for someone to hear him out when he felt like the world was caving in on him. I’d pitied him. I’d even blamed myself for the pain in his eyes when I turned him down.
And because I felt for him, because guilt clung to me like a second skin, I had gone to see him. I sat with him, listened to him. I wanted to believe that extending an olive branch, even after rejecting him, would help him heal.
But it hadn’t. Instead, it had driven a wedge between Alex and me.
For a week after I’d met Daniel, Alex had been cold, distant in a way I’d never experienced before. At the time, I understood why. But now… now it all made sense.
Daniel had planned his attack, to claw his way into a world he didn’t belong to, and to make himself into a threat. The sudden, unexplained wealth. The mysterious rise of Nexus Innovations, a company that had seemingly appeared out of thin air and taken the industry by storm.
And now this.
This betrayal.
I stopped pacing, my hands trembling as I gripped the back of a chair for support. My knuckles turned white. My breathing came in shallow gasps, and my
chest felt tight.
How could he do this?
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Daniel hadn’t just crossed a line…he’d obliterated it. This wasn’t about business. This wasn’t even about his bruised ego. This was personal.
And it wasn’t just me he was targeting. It was Alex.
The thought made my stomach churn. Daniel, the man I had once considered a friend, was now trying to tear apart the person I loved most in this world. And for what? Because he couldn’t have me? Because he couldn’t handle rejection?
I shook my head, anger bubbling up like molten lava. This wasn’t just petty. This was cruel.
My thoughts spiraled, every memory of Daniel now tainted by the knowledge of what he’d done. The kind smile he’d once given me now felt like a mask. The vulnerability he’d shown me that day now seemed like manipulation.
I wanted to scream, to throw something, to do anything to release the storm inside me.
Instead, I clenched my fists and whispered to myself, “How could you, Daniel?”
The words hung in the air, heavy and bitter.
He had gone too far. This wasn’t the man I thought I knew. This wasn’t someone I could pity anymore. This was someone couldn’t even recognize.
For the first time since I’d met him, I felt something new. Something raw and ugly.
Hatred.
I hated Daniel Brooks.
And as that realization settled in, so did a new resolve.
I
I wasn’t going to let him win. Whatever game he thought he was playing, whatever power he thought he held, it ended here He had underestimated Alex. And he had underestimated me.
I straightened, my hands falling to my sides as a new sense of purpose coursed through me.
Daniel Brooks might have started this war, but I would make damn sure Alex and I finished it.
This wasn’t just about protecting Alex. Thi
s was about showing Daniel…and anyone else who thought they could toy with our lives…that he had chosen the wrong fight.