11
427words
"Get away from my wife, Scott."
Brandon sneered. "Perfect timing. I was just showing your wife some interesting reading material."
Nathan strode in, glanced at the files, and let out a dismissive laugh.
"Old tricks, Brandon. You really think this will work?"
"The evidence is compelling," Brandon insisted.
"Then you should know," Nathan said calmly, "I anticipated this move." He pulled a USB drive from his pocket.
"This contains recordings of your father's company bribing city officials. Shall we release everything together?"
Brandon turned pale. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Nathan's voice was steel.
"Now, you are going to retract all allegations against Black Ventures, tell your parents to reinstate the investment, and stay out of our lives forever."
The two men stared each other down, the air crackling with tension.
Brandon finally looked down. "You won't win, Black."
"I already won," Nathan said simply, taking my hand.
"She's my wife."
As we left, I glanced back at Brandon. The look in his eyes chilled me—it wasn't defeat, it was determination.
This war was far from over.
In the car ride back, I turned to Nathan.
"Those photos... were any of them true?"
He was silent for a moment.
"I've made hard decisions, Emily. In business, not everything is black and white."
"But what does that mean?" I pressed.
He sighed.
"It means sometimes I do business with unsavory people if it benefits the firm. It means I move money to tax havens. But I have never done anything illegal."
I looked at him, trying to read his face. Could I trust him?
"Those photos are out of context," he continued. "Brandon is playing on your doubts."
"I have reason to doubt," I said softly. "I found out today you've been collecting photos of me for six years."
He gave a bitter smile. "I understand how bad that looks. But I swear to you, Emily, my only 'crime' is loving you too much."
We got home, and he turned to me, eyes earnest. "Give me a chance to prove myself. Give me time to show you who I am."
Looking at the sincerity in his eyes, I felt my resistance melting.
But trusting him fully felt premature.
"Okay," I finally said.
"Time."
He smiled with relief, but as we walked inside, his phone rang again.
He checked it, expression turning grave.
"What now?" I asked.
He took a deep breath.
"Chloe. She just contacted my office. She says she has critical information about Brandon, but she'll only tell me alone."
