Chapter 3: Billionaire Brother
1336 Words
The room went silent.
Brittney looked at Adrian.
Then at the envelope that lay on her bed.
Then at Adrian again.
Her heart was pounding in her ears.
"Don't marry my brother,"
the words seemed to repeat in her head.
In her previous life, no one warned her.
No one tried to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
Everyone was silent as she walked towards her doom.
Everyone except Adrian.
A strange feeling tightened in her chest.
Warm, but at the same time dangerous.
She shoved it away, along with the memories of that day.
She had learned the hard way that emotions could cloud one's judgment.
"What is it?" she asked.
Adrian's eyes flickered toward the door before answering.
"Open it,"
he said simply.
His jaw was tight, as if he knew she wouldn't be happy with what she found.
Brittney slowly reached for the envelope.
Her hands were shaking.
As soon as she opened it, several documents tumbled out onto her bed.
Bank statements.
Receipts.
Shareholder reports.
The more she read, the colder her blood ran.
"No..",
Brittney whispered.
Adrian said nothing.
Her eyes scanned the documents.
Millions of dollars.
Fake transactions.
Forged approvals.
All leading back to one company.
Ashford Group.
Her company.
Her father's company.
The company she was supposed to inherit.
"These transactions..",
her voice trembled.
"They started..",
she swallowed hard.
"Months ago."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
Months ago, before she lost the company.
Before she lost everything.
In her previous life, she never noticed.
She was too busy planning her wedding.
Too busy trusting the wrong people.
Too busy loving Damien.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
How naïve she was.
Her eyes landed on one name in particular, making her blood run cold.
"Selena."
The name rolled off her tongue like poison.
Adrian's expression darkened.
"You know that name,"
Brittney forced a tight smile.
Inside, she was screaming.
Not because she was surprised to see Selena's name there.
But because she finally had proof.
Proof that she needed to bring her company back.
Proof that Selena had been stealing from Ashford Group long before she lost her father's company.
Long before she died.
A cold feeling of vengeance coursed through her veins.
This time, she would not let Selena win.
She carefully tucked the documents back into the envelope.
When she looked up, she found Adrian watching her.
Not with the same calculating look that Damien always gave her.
But with something else.
Something deeper.
Something that made her heart stop.
It was as if he saw right through her.
The thought sent a strange warmth through her chest.
Their eyes locked onto each other, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade away.
The tension between them was thick, almost tangible.
It sent shivers down her spine.
Adrian was the first to break the silence.
"You should be angry,"
Brittney blinked.
"What?"
He gestured toward the envelope.
"Most people would be furious,"
a small smile played at her lips.
"Who says I'm not?"
Something flashed across Adrian's face.
Approval perhaps?
"Good,"
his voice was low, almost dangerous.
"Anger is a powerful emotion."
The corner of Brittney's lips twitched upward.
For the first time since she died, she felt understood.
Not pitied, not condescended, but understood.
A knock echoed through the room.
Three sharp raps.
The moment of peace shattered.
The servant opened the door, revealing none other than Damien Blackwood.
Carrying a bouquet of white roses.
Brittney's smile vanished.
So did Adrian's.
Damien stopped as soon as he saw them together.
His eyes landed on Adrian first, then on Brittney.
A strange look passed over his face.
"What are you doing here?" he asked Adrian.
The question was casual, but the way he said it wasn't.
Adrian shrugged as he pushed his hands into his pockets.
"Visiting Brittney,"
Damien's jaw tightened at that.
A subtle shift, but not by much.
However, Brittney took notice.
Interesting,
she thought.
In her previous life, Damien never seemed to care whether Adrian was with her or not.
Or rather, he didn't care where Adrian was or who he was with.
Now he looked.. possessive?
The thought was amusing.
Very amusing, in fact.
Damien quickly recovered from his shock and offered Brittney a charming smile.
"Brittney," the familiar warmth in his voice sent a wave of conflicting emotions through her.
"I brought you your favorite flowers,"
he said, handing her the bouquet.
Brittney looked at the white roses in his hands.
Her favorite.
Or rather, that's what Damien thought they were.
The truth was, she preferred red roses.
She had told him that countless times.
Meanwhile, Adrian had been sending her red roses every birthday since she could remember.
Without fail.
Back then, she thought nothing of it.
Now, however, she was starting to suspect that Adrian knew something she didn't.
A lump formed in her throat.
"Thank you,"
she said politely.
Damien frowned.
That was it?
No excited expression?
No smile?
No kisses?
The old Brittney would have thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless.
This Brittney, however, looked as if she was thanking a business partner.
Confusion washed over his face.
"Brittney?"
She looked up at him.
"What?"
His brows furrowed together.
"Is something wrong?"
A thousand responses ran through her head.
You betrayed me,
you chose Selena,
you watched me die,
you let me die.
Instead, she offered him a cold, calculating smile.
"No."
The lie hung between them.
Damien's eyes narrowed.
Studying her.
Trying to understand what was happening.
But how could he?
The woman before him was not the same Brittney he loved and adored.
That Brittney had died on the rooftop.
This Brittney had returned from the dead with vengeance in her heart.
And she was not about to let him know it.
Across from her, Adrian watched the exchange with silent intensity.
A shadow of something dark crossed his features.
As if he understood the situation better than anyone else in the room.
Finally, Damien stepped closer, until he was standing right in front of Brittney.
She took an instinctive step back, but the movement did not go unnoticed.
Neither did it go unreacted to.
The moment was brief, but it was enough to make Damien's smile disappear.
A strange expression crossed his face.
Hurt, perhaps?
Confusion?
Even betrayal?
As if he couldn't understand why she was stepping away from him.
Good.
Let him be confused.
Let him feel hurt.
Let him feel betrayed.
Because those feelings were only the beginning.
After a few excruciating minutes, Damien finally left.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Brittney let out a slow breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Adrian's gaze softened as he looked at her.
"You don't want to marry him,"
it wasn't a question.
Brittney looked away.
"No."
For the first time, she answered honestly.
A strange silence lingered between them.
Then, without warning, Adrian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something else.
His expression darkened as he looked at her.
"This wasn't the only reason I came,"
he said.
Brittney frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Without another word, he handed her a small flash drive.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
"What is this?"
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Evidence I couldn't put in the envelope."
Brittney looked at him, then at the flash drive in her hands.
A strange feeling of dread coiled in her stomach.
"What kind of evidence?"
His eyes met hers, and whatever he was about to say next made her blood run cold.
"Financial records,"
he said grimly.
"Records that prove Selena has been laundering money through fake companies that are linked to Ashford Group."
Brittney's hands tightened around the flash drive.
But Adrian was far from finished.
His voice dropped to a lower, darker tone.
"That's not the worst part."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What is?"
His expression hardened.
"One of the transactions was approved using your father's signature.."
"...six months after he was already dead."
- Writer
