Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 209

**TITLE: Pushing the Edge 209**

Before long, they dragged a child from the shadows of a cramped room.

It was Max.

Amelia, using her own son as a pawn… It was a tactic she never seemed to tire of.

Max’s eyes locked onto mine, and in an instant, the fear that gripped him morphed into a desperate plea. “Auntie! Auntie, save me!” he cried out, his small body writhing against his captors as he reached for me, yearning for protection. The usual disdain and resentment he often wore like armor were nowhere to be found.

I suppose it’s just my nature to be cold-hearted.

Even witnessing Max in such distress, I felt no flicker of warmth in my heart. Instead, I turned my gaze to Scarface, maintaining an icy composure.

“The client definitely instructed you not to harm him, didn’t she?” I stated, my tone steady and unwavering.

“How did you—” The tattooed man stammered in surprise, but his words were cut short by a warning glare from Scarface that silenced him.

Scarface himself seemed taken aback. As he ordered his men to tie Max to another chair, he regarded me with suspicion, his brow furrowed.

“Just who are you?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

“My identity?” I replied, keeping my tone even. “Didn’t you just call Zane from the car?”

“What are you implying?” His confusion was palpable, the tension in the room thickening.

The client had painted me as just another one of Zane’s mistresses, a woman the main Grayson family loathed and wished to be rid of. They believed they would be safe, that Zane would not intervene.

A faint, chilling smile crept onto my lips. “She’s setting you up for a downfall, and yet, here you are, still doing her dirty work.”

Scarface frowned, unease creeping into his expression. “What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t you ever vet your targets before accepting a job?” I lowered my gaze, masking my own trepidation with an air of borrowed authority. “My name is Elara. I’m the adopted daughter of the Windsor family. Ever heard of Gavin? I’m his sister. You think you can cross the Graysons, but do you truly believe you can handle the Windsors?”

As they stared at me, dumbfounded, I added calmly, “Oh, and Zane’s wife… that’s also me—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the factory door burst open with a loud bang.

Amelia stormed in first, her voice sharp as a blade. “Let go of my son!” She shot a fierce, warning glare at Scarface, her maternal instinct ignited.

My eyes flicked past her to Zane, who followed closely behind, his presence commanding and intense.

The moment he laid eyes on me, his expression darkened.

Tied tightly to the chair, my usually silky dark hair clung to my cheeks in disarray. My skin, delicate as it was, bore the marks of the coarse ropes that had chafed my wrists until they bled.

Zane’s face was a tempest as he approached, but before he could close the distance, Scarface pressed a gun firmly against my temple.

“Mr. Grayson!” Scarface warned, his voice a low growl. “One more step and she’s dead.”

All traces of Zane’s usual gentleness evaporated. “State your purpose,” he spat, halting in his tracks, his voice laced with a barely contained fury. “Why have you kidnapped my wife and nephew?”

“Wife?” Scarface’s voice quavered, the realization dawning upon him as he connected it with what I had just said. “We’ve been played. Damn it,” he swore viciously, frustration evident.

Zane’s lip curled in disdain. “You don’t even know who you’ve kidnapped? That’s… unprofessional.”

Scarface forced a laugh, but it was devoid of humor. “Of course we do.”

“We just wanted to see, Mr. Grayson,” he continued, “which matters more to you? Your wife… or your nephew?”

Zane’s expression turned as frigid as ice. “Meaning?”

“Simple. Today, only one of them walks out of here alive.”

A choice.

My heart sank, the weight of the moment pressing down on me like a heavy shroud.

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