Married To The Wrong Brother

Chapter 3

The weekend went by in a haze. The sleepless nights had left dark circles beneath Sabrina's eyes, though she had done her best to conceal them with makeup.

She let herself grieve for several days, completely ignoring Finn's calls and text messages... he wasn't hers to begin with, she was done with the joke of a wedding… and now, work was more important than her emotions.

Sabrina arrived at Smith Holdings later than usual that morning.

Beside her walked her mother, Katherine.

Unlike Sabrina, Katherine appeared to be in high spirits. She chatted enthusiastically about the engagement announcement she expected to hear soon, completely unaware that her daughter's world had fallen apart less than 72 hours ago.

"Your stepfather was practically glowing when he left this morning," Katherine said with a smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if he already considers Finn his son-in-law."

Sabrina forced a faint smile. The words felt like salt rubbed into an open wound. She knew she, telling her family before Finn announced it to his family, was a mistake.

As they stepped into the company lobby, she noticed the building was unusually lively for a weekday morning.

Executives moved briskly across the marble floor. Receptionists stood straighter than usual.

Several luxury vehicles had just pulled up outside.

One after another.

Men in tailored suits entered through the revolving doors.

Some of them Sabrina recognized immediately.

A chairman from one of their partner firms.

A major shareholder.

People who rarely appeared in person unless something important was happening.

Nobody had informed her about any major event.

Then she spotted Harold, her stepfather, who walked in first, his suit pressed like he was the one being celebrated. And right behind him, dressed just as sharp and confident, was Vector, her stepbrother.

The confusion on her face deepened. "What is Vector doing here?"

Her mother shifted her gaze to the gathering, "That question would be, why did dad bring him?” She turned to Sabrina, “You didn’t know? Today’s event was organized so that Vector could build connections and shake the right hands.”

Sabrina continued watching, “Connections? He's just my secretary.”

“Secretary?” Katherine almost laughed, “You think your dad is letting him work for you just so he could be your secretary? Wake up. He knows you work hard, so he made him your secretary. That way, he'd watch you build this company brick by brick, so when the time comes, Vector doesn't have to build anything. He just has to take it.”

Those words felt like a physical blow to Sabrina.

Harold moved through the crowd with a smile on his face, personally introducing Vector to every executive they encountered.

The sight made Sabrina, who watched from a distance almost weak.

Normally, when important guests visited the company, Harold introduced Sabrina.

She was the Vice President.

She handled almost everything. Securely the partnerships and maintained investor relations.

Yet this morning, she stood on the sidelines like an outsider. While Vector occupied the center of attention.

Laughter echoed across the lobby.

A gray-haired executive shook Vector's hand.

"Congratulations."

"We're looking forward to working with you."

Vector thanked them with surprising confidence. As though he'd been waiting for this moment all along.

Vector was standing beside Harold, shaking hands and exchanging business cards with people who normally came to see her.

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

Before she could dwell on it, Harold finally noticed her. His face lit up, "Sabrina!"

Several heads turned towards her as well.

Vectors followed their gaze. For a split second, his smile stiffened, then it returned. Perfectly composed.

Sabrina walked toward them. "Dad."

She glanced at their business members, then at Vector.

"You're here?" Harold sounded like he didn't expect to see her. His gaze darted toward his watch, and then toward the elevators.

Sabrina looked between him and Vector, "What are we celebrating?"

Before Harold could answer, Vector spoke first. "My role as your secretary ended today."

"What?" Sabrina's expression changed.

A flicker of satisfaction passed through Vector's eyes.

Harold cleared his throat and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Listen carefully," He lowered his voice, "There's a company car waiting outside. I need you to represent Smith Holdings at our Hong Kong branch."

Sabrina's heart sank. "The Hong Kong branch?"

"Immediately."

Sabrina's confusion deepened. Something cold settled in her stomach.

She had just arrived, she hadn't been briefed. Yet Harold was already sending her away. Was her mother right? What were they up to that they desperately needed her out of the country for?

An escort accompanied Sabrina out of the building. Her flight was in less than an hour.

“Once again, you obey your father without questioning his actions.” Katherine looked at her with pity. “Vector seems naïve, but he’s a weasel. You look smart, but you’re clueless. Wake up. Either be a Sly Fox or be used...”

With that, she got into her car and left.

Sabrina stood there for a while, her mother's words burning deep into her skin. A lot is expected from the VP of this company, and her father is a ‘yes’ man. He almost doesn't take no for an answer. Perhaps Hong Kong will help her forget about her current miserable life.

Just then, she heard a loud noise, and her head snapped toward the sound instantly.

A crowd quickly gathered near the far end of the parking lot, fifteen feet away, voices overlapping in confusion and fear.

“Oh, my God!"

"Somebody help her!"

"Call an ambulance!”

Without thinking, she ran towards them.

By the time she pushed through the crowd, her chest was burning.

A little girl lay curled on the pavement. No older than 11 or 12. Her entire body trembled violently, her small hands clawed at her chest, her mouth open like she was trying to pull in air that simply wasn't coming.

Everyone kept shouting and panicking, not knowing how to help, while the little girl's eyes darted around wildly. Almost desperate, as if searching for something.

Sabrina immediately dropped to her knees. Tears streamed down her little cheeks as she opened her mouth and desperately gasped for air. Only a strained wheeze was heard.

The horrible sound that made it look like she was slowly dying.

The child's fingers shook as she pointed weakly toward a small purse lying nearby.

"In..." The girl gasped, the single syllable costing her everything she had. "In... inhal... inhale..."

"In what?" Sabrina leaned closer, her heart raced seeing the kid fight desperately to be alive.

The girl couldn't answer in words, her terrified eyes locking onto her purse lying a few feet away where it must have dropped when her legs gave out.

Sabrina's gaze followed hers instantly. She lunged for the purse and dumped the contents onto the pavement.

Lip balm. A notebook. Then... a blue inhaler rolled across the concrete.

Sabrina's eyes widened… how could she never have thought? She was asthmatic! And she was having an attack with no one around her who knew what to do.

Without hesitation, she snatched up the inhaler. "It's okay. I found it." Her voice was shaking now.

The little girl's eyes filled with relief.

Sabrina pressed the inhaler toward the girl's mouth. "Take a breath. That's it. Slowly."

The child desperately pressed the inhaler.

One puff.

Then another.

Then another.

The crowd watched silently, fear evident on their faces.

For one terrifying second, nothing changed. Then her chest rose, just slightly, just enough.

"Call poppa," she rasped, barely audible. "Hurry, call... my daddy—"

And then her eyes rolled back, and she went completely limp in Sabrina's arms.

Her voice cracked as she eased the girl down onto the concrete, “Hey! Wake up… I have your inhaler now...”

In that moment, she looked up at the crowd still frozen around her, every single one of them useless in this moment.

"Where are her parents? Somebody find her parents!”

Just then, the sound of sirens pierced through the parking lot... an ambulance had arrived.

The crowd immediately parted.

"Make way!"

Several paramedics rushed toward them.

At almost the same time, a group of men dressed in black suits appeared from nowhere, moving through the crowd with alarming speed.

Before Sabrina could react, one of them crouched beside the little girl.

"Miss Erica!" The panic in his voice caught her attention.

One of them carefully lifted the unconscious child into his arms. Another immediately cleared a path toward the ambulance.

Everything happened so fast that Sabrina barely had time to process it.

"Her father is here." Someone whispered nearby.