Chapter 4

OLIVIA

“They are holding a press conference right now.”

“What do you mean by pulling out? I thought Mr. Stone had us covered.” My father rose to his feet and met Julian’s eye level.

“I don’t know how it happened. Our stocks are declining faster than they ever have.”

“This cannot be happening. This cannot be.” My father held his chest and slowly slumped to the ground.

***

ETHAN

“I never loved you, Ethan. Your brother was my only true love, but my father wanted you and I to be together for his relationship to grow with your father,” Victoria said, lying on our bed together with my brother.

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I love you, Victoria. Why did you keep this from me?” I clenched my fist as my voice began to break. A shiver paralyzed my spine down to my knees.

“I wish I could say I’m sorry, Ethan. You are a good man. However, my man is better than you will ever be,” she said, moaning softly as Roger kissed her on the neck.

My eyes could not believe the sight before it. I tried to tell myself it was all a lie, but it was reality.

“You witch!” I screamed at her while she continued her romance with my brother on my bed. “I gave you everything I’ve got, and you do this to me?!”

“I guess your everything was never enough,” Roger said, getting out of bed and walking to meet me. He locked eyes with mine, but I did not flinch.

“What do you want from me? What have I done to you to deserve this? Why do you so much go after my life—”

“Exactly. Your life, that is what I want. Father has always given you everything you want because you are the heir. He ignored me, he never thought for once to ask me how I feel.” He moved closer to me till we were barely an inch apart from each other. “He made it obvious he loves you more than he loves me. Since mother’s death, no one ever cared about what I do.”

I clenched my fist tighter, my eyes blazing red. “You slithering serpent, father gave you a post in the family business, and you bottled it up. That is what you have always done. Don’t you dare play the victim over here!”

“Yes, I bottled it because none of you knew me. That feeling you feel right now, I have felt it a dozen times over, but no one was there to wipe the tears away from my eyes. This is the beginning of your sorrows, brother.”

I lost my temper and thrust my fist into his face as he tried to turn away. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Before I could pounce on him, he got up, lifted me from my leg, and slammed me on the glass table in my room. My head threatened to fall from my neck before I could move. Roger patterned my face with successive punches, and I shoved him away from me.

As he attempted to hit me again while I lay helplessly on the floor, the best defense my brain could think of was to kick him in his groin. And I did.

In an instant, I locked his neck in my arms, choking his life out and breaking his neck. He struggled to get out of my grip, but I held and squeezed him tighter.

I lost my grip immediately. Victoria hit a vase on my head. My head started to bleed, and slowly, I closed my eyes, watching both of them leave me for dead.

It had been almost two years now. Every night, I still dreamed of her. I still saw her graceful face in my dreams and my brother’s elfish grin. Deep within me, I missed her, and I wanted her. I had given too much of myself to her for her to leave me just like that.

She took everything that made me human and left me empty, drowning in this river of hopelessness. However, I wanted my revenge on them more than ever. I wanted to strangle Roger and bring hell to Victoria for betraying me.

I sat in my office working, and my secretary walked in to announce the presence of Mr. Arnold, one of our partners. I pushed aside my laptop and closed it.

My eyes dropped to the ground, watching Roger enter with Mr. Arnold.

I welcomed Mr. Arnold with a handshake and glared at Roger as we proceeded with our discussions.

“Who is he?” I asked Mr. Arnold, pretending not to recognize Roger.

“This is James; he is my most trusted man; he will accompany me to every meeting I have with you.”

I felt uneasy discussing my plans in the presence of Roger, who now claimed to be James Callahan.

I wrapped up the meeting quickly and watched Mr. Arnold and Roger leave my office.

Then, a message popped on my phone, and it was from Roger.

It read: I told you your life is what I want, and I will not rest until I have it. Enjoy the rest of your day, big brother.

***

OLIVIA

Every minute I spent with my father on his sickbed was another time to renew my hatred for Ethan and his father. My father had suffered a cardiac arrest after receiving the news of his hard work going down the drain.

Soon, I realized Ethan’s father had played him all along, only to get his signature on the company transfer. He was such a cunning man.

“Olivia, I am sorry for putting you through all this,” my father said, slowly opening his eyes.

“No, Father, you don’t need to be sorry. You did what you thought was best.”

“No, I made you suffer for my misjudgments. Like you said, I had no idea what you went through there.” His voice was a rasp, using all his strength to speak.

“All you have to do now is get better and fight back for what is yours. Don’t give up yet, Father.”

A roll of tears trickled down the side of his face.

“I failed your mother, and now I failed you.”