Chapter 94
Chapter 94
AARON
The silence in the office was short-lived.
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Not even an hour after Ashford left, and I was still standing at the window, staring out over the skyline, trying to process what he’d just said.
Sister.
He said Venus was his sister.
My wife-contractual or not-was the missing sibling of a powerful man I didn’t trust, didn’t like, and now had to consider family by extension.
“Jesus,” I muttered, pressing my palm to the glass.
Below, the city carried on: traffic weaving through stone arteries, people bustling with purpose, unaware that the axis of my world had just cracked.
Connor hadn’t said much after Ashford left. He stood with arms crossed, face unreadable-but I knew that look. It was the one he wore before a hostile takeover. The one he kept when people lied straight to his face in court.
Calculating. Cold. Focused.
“You believe him?” I asked, finally.
Connor’s gaze flicked to mine. “I believe he believes it. Whether it’s true or not… that’s what we’ll find out p>
DNA. Proof.
Ashford claimed to have both.
But I didn’t trust men like him. Polished suits and slippery tongues. Always playing two games at once.
My jaw tightened. “I want the test verified. The lab. Timestamp. Chain of custody. If he so much as breathed near that envelope, I want to know about it. Then I want his mother’s records-hospital files, witnesses, even the goddamn janitor p>
Connor nodded once. “I’m already on it p>
I flexed my fingers at my sides. Trying to stay grounded. But truth was, this rattled me more than I cared to admit.
“He had her followed,” Connor said again, voice low,
“I know,” I murmured. “And if this turns out to be true… it still doesn’t excuse the method p>
“Not even close p>
I exhaled through my teeth, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“We dig,” I said. “Until there’s nothing left to uncover. If he’s lying, I’ll bury him. If he’s not p>
“She deserves to know p>
I didn’t answer.
Because he was right.
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Chapter 94
Even if it shattered her.
Even if it pulled her away from me.
Connor hesitated, then added, “You think this changes anything p>
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I let out a hollow laugh. “She only agreed to this contract because of Martha. The woman she thought was her mother p>
“And you think she’ll walk away if she finds out the truth p>
My throat tightened. “It’s not just the truth that’ll change things. It’s who’s delivering it p>
“Colton Ashford p>
“And that’s what pisses me off the most p>
I never liked Martha Astor. Tolerated her, for Venus’s sake. But she was a ghost of a woman, propped up by a cowardly man who called himself a husband. Dain Astor-the parasite. I’d seen his kind before. Dangerous not with fists, but with silence. With control.
If what Ashford said was true-if Venus was never really their daughter-it made everything worse.
Because it meant they took her life.
And she never even knew.
That Evening
The apartment felt colder with her gone. Not quiet. Hollow.
I sat on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling back through our messages like a man searching for oxygen.
VENUS:
She just threatened a vendor with a seam ripper. Gianna’s bribing her with gelato. Lucien’s judging us all. I’m thriving.
Thriving.
She deserved that.
She deserved everything.
Joy, Messy, chaotic, unfiltered joy that didn’t come with strings or survival or pain. Just freedom.
And here I was, holding a truth that would undo it all.
My fingers hovered over the screen,
ME:
How’s the fashion war going? Sabine haven’t tackled anyone else over thread yet?
Her reply came fast. Too fast. Like she’d been waiting for me.
VENUS:
You say that like it’s not inevitable. She’s got her eye on some poor intern. We may witness bloodshed before sunset.
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Chapter 94
I smirked, just barely.
ME:
Remind me to send flowers to the intern’s family.
VENUS:
Already on it. I put your name on the card.
And then… nothing.
Because if I kept texting, I’d tell her everything.
That Colton Ashford was her brother.
That the world she thought she understood wasn’t just cracked, it was built on a lie.
That the man who swore he wouldn’t feel anything… had fallen for her.
I set the phone down.
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My eyes caught on the contract lying on the nightstand. The thing that started it all. The one she signed like a sacrificial lamb.
The necklace she still wore? My gift.
A brand. A promise.
She was mine.
But maybe… she had always belonged to something bigger. To a past she didn’t know. A brother she never remembered. A truth she never asked for.
I poured myself a drink. Neat. No ice. Not for the taste. I barely felt the burn anymore. I just needed to feel something.
The documents from Ashford were spread across the coffee table. Birth records. Dates. Medical reports that hadn’t been touched in decades.
Connor would verify every last piece by morning.
But deep down?
I already knew.
Venus was his sister.
And now?
That changed everything.
A Knock at the Door
I didn’t hear it at first.
A single knock. Soft. Deliberate.
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Chapter 94
Security hadn’t called. No one buzzed. I wasn’t expecting anyone.
I opened the door cautiously.
There was no one there.
Just an envelope.
Cream. Thick. No name.
I frowned, crouched, picked it up.
Weighty.
Back inside, I tore it open, slow at first, then rough, like my instincts already knew this wasn’t good.
Inside were photographs.
Not digital.
Printed. Matte. High-res. Intentional.
Dorian and Venus.
One shot in the elevator-she was laughing, looking radiant, and he was staring at her like she hung the moon.
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Another: the two of them seated at a restaurant, dim lighting, her fingers on the stem of a wine glass, his elbow just barely brushing hers.
A third: the office. Inches apart. Faces too close. Shadows too loaded with implication.
They weren’t just pictures.
They were calculated.
Weaponized.
I flipped them over, looking for timestamps, signatures, anything.
There was none.
But the last item in the envelope?
A small note.
Typed in block print. One sentence:
“Thought you’d want to see what loyalty looks like p>
-D.S.
Dorian.
The smug bastard.
I stared down at the photos, fingers clenched.
I wasn’t a fool. I knew how angles could lie. I knew how games were played.
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Chapter 94
And Dorian knew this.
Which meant this wasn’t about the photos.
It was about the seed he wanted to plant.
The doubt.
The wedge.
I threw the glass across the room. It shattered against the wall. Whiskey pooled across the floor.
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The Next Morning
I didn’t walk into Dorian’s office.
I stormed it.
His secretary didn’t try to stop me. Smart girl.
He was by the window, as always, dressed in black, sipping espresso like he hadn’t just lit a fuse under my life.
He turned. Smiled.
“Brother p>
I didn’t respond.
I threw the envelopeat his chest.
It hit hard, spilling open across his polished floor like blood.
“You really want to die in here today p>
He bent, slowly picking up a photo, turning it between his fingers.
“You like this one?” he asked. “Candid. Eleven Madison Park, I think. Or was it Per Se? The lighting’s almost poetic p>
My fist met his face before he could finish the sentence.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.