Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223

This time, I snatched the phone

“What the fu- I was halfway to unleashing the venom when I caught the name on the screen.

Alfred.

I exhaled and answered the phone.

“Alfred.”

There was a pause on the line. Then the voice came through, oily and very cautious.

Alpha. Good morning.”

I leaned back in the chair, phone pressed to my ear, rubbing my temple again. “Yes?”

Alfred cleared his throat. “I have… updates.”

I straightened slowly. Lance was still standing there, and I waved him off without looking. “We’ll talk later.”

He hesitated, then nodded and stepped out.

“Go on,” I said into the phone.

Alfred paused again as though swallowing a lump the size of his conscience. Or maybe it was just fear. I hoped it was fear.

“It’s done,” he finally said. “Just like you planned.”

I tilted my head, a faint curl at the edge of my mouth–somewhere between a smirk and a snarl. “You gave him the bait?”

“Yes, Alpha. I told Alpha Kex that the company’s internal accounts were bleeding and that your liquidity had dried up. He took the

hook. Hard.”

A beat passed. The satisfaction settled into my bones like whiskey. Slow, warm, and dangerous.

“How hard?” I asked.

“Very,” Alfred breathed out. “He put in a massive short last night–millions. His traders believe your firm will be bankrupt in under two quarters. He’s expecting the announcement by the end of the week. He even told his investors you’re on the verge of collapsing. They’re backing him.”

My lips parted slightly, then pressed together as I leaned forward, elbows on the desk. “And the acquisition?”

Alfred chuckled nervously. “He’s making a bid for Elvric Systems today. Full–on takeover. He’s confident you’re too broke to match

it.”

-one man

I could’ve laughed, but I didn’t. I only stared at the far end of my office where the glass pane reflected my silhouette–c sitting in a high clan quietly waiting for the flames to catch where he’d already poured the gasoline.

Kex was going to burn himself trying to steal from a house he thought was collapsing.

Good.

1/3

“You’re doing it because when you betrayed me the first time, I spared your life. This is your atonement. You don’t get to feel clever for doing what I told you to.”

“…Understood.”

I hung up.

No need for goodbyes. Goodbyes were for people who’d earned them

I tossed the phone down on the table and dragged my hand over my face. The rush was brief–like biting into something sweet and sour at the same time. There was pleasure in it, but it left my mouth dry.

Kex would bleed.

Whenever he sees me, he would see the devil he once underestimated.

The phone buzzed again.

hune.

I picked it up and typed three words. “Wear anything black. I hit send.

Because grief looked good in black.

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Chapter 223

And I was about to start a funeral.