THE WIFE HE MARRIED FOR REVENGE

CHAPTER 4: Brothers And Secrets

CHARLES'S POV

Davis, my best friend slammed the penthouse door shut so hard that the sound echoed across the entire living room.

The anger on his face was impossible to miss.

Rain soaked his black coat and small drops of water slid down his jaw as he walked further into the apartment without waiting to be invited.

I remained seated on the couch, calmly sipping my whiskey.

“You look tense,” I said lazily.

“Tense?” Davis laughed sharply. “The police just called me in the middle of the night because a woman collapsed during interrogation, Charles.”

My father slowly looked up from his chair near the fireplace but said nothing.

Davis dragged both hands through his wet hair, frustration written all over his face. “Do you know how insane that sounds?”

I placed my glass down carefully. “So they called you.”

“Yes, they called me,” he snapped immediately. “Apparently my name was listed as one of the emergency contacts connected to the hotel staff records.”

That was true, we both own shares in the hotel.

Davis exhaled heavily before continuing. “They said Lisa’s mother passed out during questioning.”

A slow feeling of satisfaction moved through me instantly. That was good news, at least to me.

Fear was finally doing its job.

The weaker the mother became, the faster Lisa would surrender.

And desperate people made predictable decisions.

“She’s alive?” my father asked calmly.

“For now,” Davis replied bitterly. “But they said her condition is bad.”

I leaned back comfortably against the couch.

For the first time all night, things finally seemed to be moving correctly.

Lisa was cornered from every direction now. The arrest, and now her sick mother was collapsing under pressure.

Soon enough, she would realize there was only one person capable of fixing everything. Which is me.

Davis stared at me carefully then. And suddenly, his expression changed. “You’re happy about this?” he asked.

It was not a question. I held his gaze calmly. “I’m being realistic.”

His expression changed immediately. “A woman almost died tonight.”

“A Laurent woman,” my father corrected coldly.

Davis slowly looked between both of us before letting out a frustrated laugh. “I still can’t believe this is really happening.”

“You knew this day would come eventually,” my father replied.

“No,” Davis said sharply. “I knew Charles wanted revenge. I didn’t know innocent people would get dragged into it.”

The word innocent irritated me immediately. “You’re assuming they’re innocent,” I said coldly.

Davis looked at me for a long moment. Then he shook his head slowly. “She didn’t look guilty tonight.”

Something about the way he said that annoyed me more than it should have.

I stood up slowly from the couch. “You saw her once.”

“And somehow you’ve already decided she deserves to suffer,” he shot back.

Silence filled the penthouse. Thunder crashed loudly outside.

My father stood up carefully. “You’re forgetting who her family is.”

“No,” Davis replied quietly. “I’m wondering if maybe we never knew the full story.”

The atmosphere changed immediately.

My eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Davis hesitated. Like he knew he was stepping into dangerous territory.

Then finally, “Maybe your mother’s death wasn’t intentional,” he muttered.

The second those words left his mouth, the room went completely quiet.

My father’s face changed instantly. “What did you just say?” he snapped.

Davis exhaled heavily. “I’m just saying people make mistakes. Maybe whatever happened years ago wasn’t as simple as we think.”

I felt anger rise sharply inside me. After all these years of pains and unanswered questions, he wanted me to believe it was all a mistake?

“My mother died because of that family,” I said quietly.

Davis nodded slowly. “I know.”

“No,” I snapped sharply. “You don’t.”

The argument was getting intense.

Davis had been my closest friend for years. He's more than a friend to me now, he's my brother.

We built businesses together, protected and trusted each other. Which was exactly why this conversation irritated me so much.

Because instead of standing beside me, he was questioning me.

“You should’ve told me earlier,” he said after a moment.

I frowned slightly. “Told you what?”

“That you found the Laurent girl.”

I looked away briefly. “There was nothing to discuss.”

Davis laughed bitterly. “That’s funny coming from the man who tells me everything.”

His words hit me hard because he was right. We did tell each other everything.

Or at least we used to, but this situation felt different and personal.

It was Complicated in ways I didn’t fully understand yet.

“I handled it myself because I knew you’d react emotionally,” I said finally.

“And maybe that should tell you something,” he muttered.

I looked at him quietly.

Davis stepped closer now, lowering his voice slightly. “Charles, that girl looked terrified tonight. She doesn't need to suffer for what she knows nothing about,”

Why did everyone keep saying this, like it was supposed to change something?

Her innocence doesn't erase bloodlines. It doesn’t erase the past.

And it definitely didn’t erase my mother’s death.

“You’re getting distracted,” my father warned Davis sternly.

“No, I’m getting concerned,” Davis replied quietly.

“Concerned about what?” I asked, my tone was different now.

Davis rubbed his forehead tiredly before continuing. “So what's the plan now, what are you going to do about her mother's condition,” he asked.

Honestly, Lisa’s mother collapsing meant pressure. It has made everything easy for me, this will give me a chance to control her.

“She’ll agree now,” I admitted quietly.

Davis frowned deeply. “Agree to what?”

The room became quiet, my father looked away first.

And immediately, Davis understood.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

“No,” he said slowly.

I met his gaze calmly.

“Yes, ” I muttered.

He stared at me like he had never seen me clearly before.

“You’re forcing her into marriage?” Davis asked in shock.

“It’s temporary, it's just to trap her and teach her lessons”

“She’s being blackmailed, Charles,” Davis whispered.

“She’s being given a solution,” I mocked.

Davis let out a disbelieving laugh and took a few steps back. “What the hell”

I remained calm outwardly, but irritation slowly burned beneath my skin.

“You think she’ll willingly marry you?” Davis asked.

“She won’t have a choice, and she doesn't know I'm the one behind her misery. I'll show up as a saviour,” I urged.

Those words settled heavily between us.

Davis looked disturbed now.

Actually disturbed and strangely enough, that bothered me.

Because deep down, I expected him to understand.

Instead, he looked disappointed.

“You’re crossing a line,” he said quietly.

“No,” I replied. “I crossed that line years ago when my mother died.”

Davis stared at me for a long moment.

Then finally, he shook his head slowly.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”