In Love With My Stepbrother

Chapter 17: The Ex-Boyfriend’s Trap

The grand foyer of the King Estate was dead quiet when Kai pulled open the front doors, but the atmosphere felt heavy, charged with invisible danger.

"Marcus, double the perimeter guards and lock down the lower armory," Kai commanded smoothly, taking off his wet suit jacket and tossing it to a waiting servant. "No one enters or leaves the estate without my personal sign-off."

"Understood, Don," Marcus nodded, stepping back into the courtyard to coordinate the security detail.

I stood near the grand marble staircase, my fingers absently tracing the zip of my leather jacket. The victory at the Midnight Circuit had reclaimed my father's Northern Territory rights, but the surge of adrenaline was slowly fading, replaced by an unsettling knot of anxiety in my stomach.

"You're quiet," Kai murmured, walking up behind me. His large hand rested lightly against the small of my back, his thumb rubbing comforting, slow circles against my spine. The intense heat radiating from his palm instantly burned through my clothes, making my pulse skip a beat.

"It feels too easy," I whispered, turning around to face him. I had to look up into those dark, molten-amber eyes that held me so effortlessly captive. "Archer lost everything tonight. My stepmother lost her grip on the council. They aren't the type to just walk away into the night."

A dark, dangerous smirk touched Kai’s lips. He reached out, his long fingers gently hooking beneath my chin, tilting my face toward his.

"Let them try whatever pathetic scheme they're concocting," Kai growled softly, leaning down until his lips hovered a fraction of an inch from mine. "I'll break them again. Now come upstairs. You need to wash off the smell of tire smoke and damp rain."

Before I could answer, Victoria stepped out from the main drawing room. She was dressed in an elegant navy gown, holding a silver tray bearing two crystal glasses of vintage decanted scotch. Her expression was completely composed, a far cry from the hysterical woman who had screamed at us hours earlier.

"Congratulations on your victory, Sienna," Victoria said, her voice smooth as silk, though her eyes were cold as ice. "I must admit, I misjudged your... resilience."

I narrowed my eyes, stepping closer to Kai. "What are you doing up at two in the morning, Victoria?"

"I am acknowledging defeat," Victoria replied softly, stepping toward us and offering the silver tray. "Kai, you made it clear that you run this empire now. As your stepmother, I am extending a truce. Take a glass. Let us drink to the new era of the King Syndicate."

Kai stared down at the two glasses. The amber liquid glinted under the chandelier light.

I looked at Victoria’s hands. She was holding the tray steady, but I caught the subtle, frantic twitch in her index finger. My instincts—honed by months of surviving on the streets—instantly screamed that something was terribly wrong.

Kai reached out his broad hand to take a glass.

"Kai, wait!" I snapped, grabbing his wrist before his fingers could touch the crystal.

Kai stilled, turning his head to look down at me. Victoria’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, her jaw tightening nervously.

"What is it, Sienna?" Kai asked, his voice low and attentive.

"She doesn't offer truces," I said coldly, glaring directly into Victoria’s eyes. "She hates me, and she hates that you took away her authority over the estate. She wouldn't pour you a drink unless she had something to gain."

"Sienna, don't be ridiculous," Victoria scoffed, though her voice pitched slightly higher. "It is simply a peace offering—"

"Then drink it yourself," I interrupted sharply.

Victoria froze. Her face drained of all color. "I... I do not drink scotch—"

"Drink it, Victoria," Kai commanded, his voice dropping into that terrifying, Primal register that made the room freeze. He stepped forward, his massive frame completely towering over her. The golden ring in his dark eyes flared brightly. "If it's just a peace offering, sip from the glass you intended for me."

Victoria’s hands began to tremble violently. The crystal glasses rattled against the silver tray.

"Kai... I am your father's wife—"

Without a word, Kai reached out and snatched one of the glasses. He didn't force her to drink it. Instead, he splashed a small drop of the liquid onto the marble surface of the side table beside her. Within five seconds, the polished finish on the expensive wood began to hiss softly, discoloring into a faint grey stain.

Colorless, odorless, chemical poison.

A cold, lethal fury swept over Kai’s face. The air in the foyer grew so suffocatingly heavy that even I struggled to draw a breath.

"Marcus!" Kai roared.

The heavy double doors burst open instantly. Marcus and four armed guards rushed into the foyer with their weapons drawn.

"Lock her in the basement holding cell," Kai growled, his voice vibrating with pure hatred as he glared down at a trembling Victoria. "Strip her of her phones, her comms, and her title. If she breathes a word, put a bullet through her knee."

"Kai! No! You can't do this to me! I am a King!" Victoria screamed, her manicured nails digging uselessly into the guards' suits as Marcus dragged her forcefully down the corridor toward the subterranean cells. "Archer will fix this! You're both going to die!"

The echoes of her screaming faded down the hallway, leaving the foyer in deathly silence again.

I let out a ragged breath, my hands shaking slightly as the realization washed over me. "She tried to kill you..."

Kai turned back to me. In one swift movement, he closed the distance between us, grabbing my waist and pulling me violently flush against his hard chest. His arms wrapped around me like steel bands, burying his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply.

"You saved my life, little sister," Kai growled thickly into my skin, his chest heaving against mine. His heart was hammering wildly—not from fear, but from the terrifying thought of what would have happened if I hadn't been standing beside him.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," I whispered, my hands reaching up to wrap tightly around his broad shoulders, holding onto his immense strength.

Kai pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. His thumbs gently cupped my cheeks, wiping away a stray tear I hadn't realized had fallen.

"She mentioned Archer," Kai growled, his jaw clenching tightly. "The West family is backed into a corner. They know Victoria failed."

Before I could answer, the security monitor near the grand staircase beeped frantically. A red text alert flashed across the screen:

[PERIMETER BREACH: WEST WING GUEST HOUSE]

"Bella..." I whispered, my eyes widening in realization. "She stayed in the guest house tonight!"

"Marcus is downstairs with the guards," Kai said, his voice instantly turning back into the ruthless Alpha Don. He pulled a sleek black sidearm from his shoulder holster, racking the slide with a sharp clack. "Stay behind me, Sienna."

We sprinted up the grand staircase toward the west wing corridors, the red emergency lights illuminating the dark hallway in long, bloody pulses.

As we reached the heavy double doors of Bella's suite, a sudden, muffled scream echoed from inside, followed by the distinct sound of furniture shattering.

Kai kicked the heavy oak door open with a single, brutal blow.

BANG!

The door splintered inward.

Inside the dimly lit room, Bella was pinned against the glass balcony door, her face bruised, weeping in terror. Holding a jagged, broken glass bottle to her neck was Archer West.

He was soaked in rain, his suit torn, his eyes completely bloodshot and insane. He looked like a wild animal backed into a slaughterhouse. Standing behind him were four armed mercenaries wearing dark tactical masks.

"Don't move, King!" Archer shrieked, his voice cracking with unhinged desperation. He pressed the broken glass deeper into Bella's skin, drawing a tiny bead of blood. "One step closer, and I slit her throat!"

Kai didn't stop. He stepped into the room, raising his gun, his towering body blocking me completely from their line of sight.

"You're in the wrong house, West," Kai said ice-cold.

"Shut up!" Archer screamed, his eyes darting frantically past Kai until they locked onto me. A sickening, twisted grin spread across his face. "I don't care about Bella! I came for her!"

Archer gestured with his free hand to his mercenaries. "Take the girl! If Kai shoots, kill the stepsister!"

Next Steps:

Chapter 18: Marked by the Don – Kai and Sienna execute a joint counter-strike in the west wing, leading to Archer's absolute destruction and a intense, passionate vow between Kai and Sienna in the aftermath.