Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 62

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
By R. Joseph

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62 A liar, plain and simple.

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Leilani.

Today, the world outside my window was transformed into a winter wonderland. I stepped out of my apartment, and to my surprise, I found delicate white snowflakes adorning the roof of my car, a gentle reminder that mid-November had crept in without my notice. The sight brought a fleeting smile to my lips, but I quickly brushed it aside; it was just another day. I hopped into my car and drove to the office, the crunch of the snow beneath my tires a soothing rhythm. However, my mundane morning took a sharp turn when I arrived at work and found a stack of mail waiting for me, neatly organized and almost tauntingly pristine.

As I sifted through the letters, my heart sank when I spotted the unmistakable envelope from my family. I knew what it was before I even opened it—a court summons.

A smirk crept onto my face as I pulled out my phone, dialing my lawyer, Adrian Crete, without a moment’s hesitation. “Adrian, we need to counter-sue,” I declared, my voice steady. His reply was swift, and by the time lunch rolled around, he had already contacted them and returned with the news I had been eagerly anticipating.

Their response was as succinct as it was amusing. They had simply written, “Fuck you.”

Upon hearing this, laughter bubbled up from deep within me, spilling over into the air around us. Even Jarek, sitting across from me, seemed to find joy in my amusement, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he played the role of our enthusiastic audience.

We had been scheming, trying to find a way to infiltrate my family’s house. Our goal? To tamper with the CCTV footage from the day Grandma passed away and the day Chalice accused me of pushing her down the stairs. Yet, despite our best efforts, success had eluded us thus far, and the frustration was beginning to gnaw at me.

“Stay grounded, princess!” Jarek teased, clinking his glass against mine, a playful grin dancing on his lips as he scrutinized my expression. “What’s swirling around in that beautiful mind of yours?”

I shook my head, attempting to dismiss his words, but heat rose to my cheeks at his compliment. By now, I should have been accustomed to his flirtatious banter, yet it still sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach, igniting a warmth in my toes that was decidedly inconvenient at this moment.

“I just don’t know how we’ll manage to get that footage,” I finally admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s unrealistic to think we can just waltz into the house and ask for it. And even if we do manage to ask, Chalice will likely destroy it before we can even lay our hands on it.”

“That’s assuming it hasn’t been destroyed already,” Jarek replied, his voice laced with a hint of concern that sent a shiver down my spine. I shuddered at the thought. “I hope not.”

“Me too,” he echoed softly, the weight of our predicament hanging heavily in the air between us.

A tense silence enveloped us, broken only moments later by Jarek’s gentle voice. “Try not to dwell on it too much.”

I let out a resigned sigh. “I’m doing my best.”

“On a different note, remember that gala we had to postpone a few weeks back? It’s happening next week. Are you still planning to go with me?”

At that, my ears perked up, and I set my fork down, lifting my gaze to meet his. A flicker of hope ignited within me. “Yes,” I whispered, my heart racing at the thought.

“It’s a prime opportunity to pitch our ideas to potential clients. Although, honestly, with the influx of new business we’ve had lately, I’m not sure we need more. But if you don’t want to leave any scraps for the Stormborn brothers, we’ll have to pitch to even the smallest companies left in NYC. Good luck with that,” he said, returning to his meal as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell in front of me.

I let his words linger in the air, not missing the underlying message. He was subtly suggesting that I should retaliate, that I should kick off my revenge scheme with something bold and decisive.

I smiled at him, but chose to remain silent, knowing deep down what I had to do next. And trust me, it was precisely the hidden meaning behind his words that resonated within me.

—

Zevran.

My brothers and I sat across from one another in my office, poring over the bewildering emails that had suddenly begun flooding our screens.

It was clear as day: everyone was pulling out of our recent project. That was the only way to describe it.

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