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Betrayal's Kiss

Bethany sat cross-legged on the hotel carpet, surrounded by printed documents and her laptop. The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, warming her back as she sorted through the latest files Graves had sent over.

Her mind kept drifting back to the lab the night before, Kai’s hands gripping her hips, the way he’d looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered while he moved inside her.

The memory sent a rush of heat through her body, but it was quickly drowned out by a cold wave of dread.

She rubbed her temples. Every new page seemed to point to the same terrifying conclusion: her father’s death wasn’t an accident.

Cassandra walked over from the desk, holding two fresh coffees. “You’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes. Talk to me.”

Bethany looked up. “I keep thinking about what Dad said in that recording. ‘Damien and Victor are both involved.’ One of them is lying to my face. Maybe both of them are.”

Cassandra sat down beside her on the floor. “Then we stop trusting anyone until we know for sure. That includes Kai.”

The words stung more than Bethany expected. “He’s the one who found the recording. He’s been helping us.”

“Exactly,” Cassandra said gently. “That’s what makes him dangerous. The best way to betray someone is to make them believe you’re on their side.”

The two sisters spent the next hour going through every line of the financial records. Theo’s voice came through on speakerphone, updating them on new matches he’d found in New York. “The payments to the Shadow Board weren’t just bribes. Some of them were made through IllusionForge sessions that were recorded. Your father kept copies. I think he was building leverage against them.”

Bethany’s stomach dropped. “So he knew they were coming for him.”

“Looks like it,” Theo replied. “And one of those recordings has Victor’s voice on it.”

The room went quiet.

That evening, Victor requested an urgent meeting at the London office. The sisters arrived with Jake close behind. The conference room felt smaller than usual, the air thick with tension. Victor stood at the head of the table, looking every bit the concerned uncle.

“I heard you’ve been digging through the old ledgers,” he said, his voice smooth. “You need to stop before you make things worse for the family.”

Bethany crossed her arms. “Worse than finding out Dad was murdered?”

Victor’s expression didn’t change. “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. Your father made deals with dangerous people. The Shadow Board isn’t some conspiracy, it’s a group of investors who expect results. When your father couldn’t deliver, they took matters into their own hands.”

Cassandra stepped forward. “And you helped them, didn’t you?”

The shift in Victor’s eyes was subtle, but Bethany caught it. For a moment, the mask slipped.

“I protected this family the only way I knew how,” Victor said. “Your father was going to lose everything. I made sure the company survived.”

“By killing him?” Bethany’s voice cracked.

Victor smiled sadly. “You really think I could do that to my own brother?”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flash drive. “This contains the final IllusionForge session. The one where your father begged for more time. Listen to it. Then decide who the real traitor is.”

As Victor handed her the drive, his fingers brushed hers. In that moment, Bethany saw something in his eyes that made her blood run cold, not guilt, but satisfaction.

Later that night, back at the hotel, Bethany couldn’t sleep.

She stood on the balcony, the city lights blurring through unshed tears. The door behind her opened quietly. Kai stepped out, his presence both comforting and terrifying now.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“I know.” He moved closer. “But I couldn’t stay away.”

The kiss that followed was different from the others. It was desperate, laced with doubt and need. Kai’s hands slowly slid under her sweater, cupping her delicate, br**sts as his thumbs circled her hardening ni**les. Bethany moaned into his mouth, her body responding even as her mind screamed to pull away.

He lifted her onto the balcony railing, her legs wrapping around his waist. His fingers slipped between her thighs, playing with her moist va**na, finding her already wet. He stroked her cl*t in slow, deliberate circles while kissing down her neck, biting just hard enough to make her gasp. When he finally pushed his pulsing d**k slowly inside her, it was deep and urgent. Each thrust felt like both a promise and a warning.

Bethany clung to him as pleasure built, her nails digging into his shoulders. She came hard, biting his shoulder to muffle her cry. Kai followed moments later, burying himself deep as he groaned her name.

They stayed locked together as his warm c*m dripped slowly, breathing heavily. For a few precious seconds, the world felt simple.

Bethany adjusted to the side with Kai lifting her in his arms.

Then Bethany’s phone buzzed on the table inside. A message from an unknown number.

“He’s lying to you. Victor isn’t the only one who benefited from your father’s death. Ask Kai about the money he received two weeks before the funeral.”

Bethany froze in Kai’s arms.

The betrayal she feared most had just kissed her.