Chapter 5
581 Words
I didn’t sleep a wink after the engagement party. The investigator’s report felt like a bomb sitting on my nightstand. If I told Leo, I’d be saving his soul but destroying his life. If I stayed silent, I was letting a wolf lead him to the altar.
I found Leo in his home office early Sunday morning. He was staring at a laptop, looking exhausted.
"Leo? Can we talk?" I asked, closing the door behind me.
He looked up, a tired smile crossing his face. "Lana. Perfect timing. I was just looking at honeymoon destinations. Jade wants something private. An island, maybe?"
"Leo, I saw something," I said, my voice trembling. "In Jade’s bag. A report. I know about the debt, Leo. I know you’re in trouble with the firm."
The smile vanished. Leo’s face went gray. He stood up slowly, his hands shaking as he closed his laptop. "You went through her things? Alana, that’s low, even for you."
"Who cares about the bag?!" I yelled. "Leo, she’s buying you! She’s paying off millions to keep you from going to jail. Why would she do that? She barely knows you!"
"Because she loves me!" Leo shouted back. He slammed his hand on the desk. "She found out by accident. She saw me crying in my office one night before the engagement. Instead of leaving me, she offered her entire inheritance to save my name. She saved this family, Alana!"
I stepped back, stunned. "She told you she found out by accident? Leo, she had a private investigator following you for months before you even met her! She targeted you!"
Leo laughed, but it was a cold, hollow sound. "You’re reaching, Lana. I get it. You’ve always been the protective little sister. You’ve always been cynical. But Jade is an angel. She told me you might try to turn me against her. She said you were still holding onto some high school grudge."
"It’s not a grudge! She’s dangerous!"
"Enough!" Leo pointed to the door. "Jade is the reason I can still look Mom and Dad in the eye. If you try to ruin this for me if you breathe a word of this to anyone I’m done with you. Do you understand? I will choose her every single time."
My heart shattered. She had already won. She had anticipated my move and poisoned his mind against me before I even spoke.
I walked out of the office, my head spinning. I didn't get far before I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me into the guest bathroom.
Jade slammed the door and locked it. She didn't look angry; she looked amused.
"I told you," she whispered, crowding me against the towel rack. "He won't believe you. To him, I’m the woman who saved his life. To him, you’re just the jealous sister who can’t handle his happiness."
"He’ll find out eventually," I spat, trying to push her away.
"Maybe," Jade said, her hand sliding up to my throat, not to hurt me, but to tilt my head up. "But by then, we’ll be married. And you... you’ll be exactly where I want you."
She leaned in, her lips a breath away from mine. "Now, be a good bridesmaid. We have a cake tasting at noon. And Alana? Wear the blue dress. It matches your eyes when you're angry."
She kissed my cheek a lingering, burning touch and slipped out of the room, leaving me shivering in the dark.
- Writer
