Chapter 20: A Knife in the Back
391 Words
Lena’s breath hitched as she stared at the name on the page. Leo.
Her own stepbrother.
Her fingers tightened around the folder, the weight of betrayal pressing against her chest. This wasn’t just some business rival turning against her—this was family.
Damien watched her, his expression unreadable. “Say something.”
Lena swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to breathe. “How long have you known?”
“Long enough,” Damien said smoothly, walking around his desk. “I had my suspicions when Ethan made his first move. But I wanted proof before bringing it to you.”
Lena shook her head, still struggling to process it. “Leo was the only person I trusted after my parents died. He—” She stopped, clenching her jaw. “He was there when Ethan destroyed me. Why would he—”
She couldn’t finish. The thought of him conspiring with Ethan made her stomach churn.
Damien leaned against his desk, watching her closely. “Maybe you should ask him.”
Lena inhaled sharply, her nails digging into her palm. She wanted answers, but more than that—she wanted revenge.
She looked up at Damien. “And you weren’t going to tell me?”
His lips curled into a smirk. “I wanted to see how far you’d go before you figured it out yourself.”
Lena’s eyes darkened. “So you were testing me?”
“I was preparing you,” Damien corrected. “You came to me with a plan for revenge, but you didn’t consider the personal cost. You thought your enemies were Ethan and Victoria—but you never imagined one of them would share your blood.”
Lena’s chest burned. He was right. She had been so focused on Ethan that she never questioned who else was feeding him information.
She looked down at the file again. Bank transfers. Private meetings. Emails. Leo had been working with Ethan for months. Even before her rebirth.
Her stomach twisted. Had he betrayed her in her first life too? Had she been so blind that she never saw it coming?
Damien’s voice cut through her thoughts. “What are you going to do, Lena?”
She shut the folder and met his gaze.
“I’m going to make Leo regret ever betraying me.”
- Writer
