Drowning in my Step Son

Chapter 5

Heavy footfalls were approaching down the corridor. Liliana's stomach churned with dread. She and Sebastian stood frozen in the bedroom, their chests still heaving from the fight. Theodore’s threat rang in the air like poison. They were about to lose everything.

"Stay behind me," Sebastian ordered, his jaw clenched, a fresh bruise blooming on his face. The air in the room crackled with tension. Liliana's heart beat so fast, her vision blurred. Just hours ago, they had been lost in each other's bodies; now the walls felt like they were closing in on them.

The door burst open. Two huge men in black suits stormed in first, and then Theodore. A thin trickle of blood still leaked from his split lip, but his eyes blazed with ice-cold fury. "Take them. These two are no longer welcome in this house."

One guard seized Sebastian's arm with a vise-like grip. "Let go!" Sebastian yelled, twisting free and shoving the man back. Liliana stepped forward, her voice trembling. "Theodore, please. We can talk about this."

There was no talking. Theodore's face contorted with betrayal and anger. "Talk? After you screwed my son behind my back? After you both plotted to steal everything I've built?"

The raw emotion hit Liliana like a punch to the gut. Tears streamed down her face. Part of her felt an intense shame; Theodore had saved her from destitution, given her a name and wealth. Yet another part seethed with resentment; he never truly loved her. He owned her. With Sebastian, she had experienced real passion, real power. "I'm so sorry I hurt you," she managed, her voice breaking. "But you hurt me first. You made me invisible. Sebastian sees me. He loves me. We both deserve more than your soulless empire."

Sebastian's eyes were filled with his own pain. "You've always treated me like a mistake. Never good enough. And now that I've finally found something real with her, you want to destroy us?" His voice rose, years of suppressed anger erupting. "We're not stealing anything. We're taking what should have been ours!"

Theodore let out a bitter, mocking laugh that ignited the fight. Sebastian lunged at his father, and the two men crashed together in the center of the room. Fists flew, landing solid blows. Sebastian’s punch to Theodore’s ribs sent him staggering back; Theodore retaliated with a vicious blow to Sebastian’s already bruised jaw. A chair overturned as they stumbled, slamming into the wall with a dull thud. They gasped for breath, grunting with exertion.

The two guards intervened. One grabbed Sebastian from behind in a crushing chokehold; the other roughly pushed Liliana against the wall when she tried to assist. "Don't touch her!" Sebastian roared. He elbowed his captor, breaking free, and tackled the second guard to the floor. Fists and feet met. A lamp shattered against the wall. Blood dripped from Sebastian’s nose. Theodore stood back, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

Liliana’s heart was torn in two. She hated the violence, hated betraying the man who had promised her the world. But the love for Sebastian was stronger, mingled with a dark desire for the billions, for power, for the freedom to openly be together. "Stop fighting!" she screamed, her voice swallowed by the din.

The fight ended as quickly as it began with the arrival of two more guards. They wrestled Sebastian to the ground. Theodore wiped blood from his mouth, his gaze sweeping over Liliana with utter contempt. "You chose him. Fine. You both are ruined. The board meeting starts in an hour. I'm cutting you off from every company, every bank account. You'll walk away with nothing but the clothes on your backs."

He turned to the guards. "Get them out of my chalet. Now."

As the guards dragged them towards the door, Sebastian met Liliana’s eyes, his own filled with fierce determination. "This isn't over," he whispered. "We'll fight back."

They were pushed out into the frigid Aspen snow. The cold seeped into Liliana’s thin sweater. Their luggage was unceremoniously thrown out after them. Theodore stood at the doorway, observing the scene like a victorious king.

But just as the guards began to close the gate, Sebastian's phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it while being roughly shoved forward.

His expression changed instantly. "Liliana," he said urgently. "One of my contacts on the board just texted. The meeting isn't in an hour. It's happening now – and he's planning something much bigger than cutting us out."

Before either of them could react, a black SUV sped to a halt in front of them. Four men leaped out, guns clearly visible at their sides. They weren't Theodore's guards.

One of them pointed directly at Liliana. "Mr. Hart wants the woman. Take her.”