Page 66 of Sebastian.

“What if you become COO? Or chief commercial officer?” I offer, barely masking my frustration. God, this can’t be real. Even forcing the words out of my mouth is a struggle.

Karl remains implacable, looking calm and collected, his eyes locked onto mine. “No, that won’t work. I want the top role. That’s not negotiable.”

A wry, bitter laugh escapes my lips. “And if I refuse, I assume we’ve got to go to court, and you’ll tell the judge I’m your accomplice? You’re a joke, Karl. All these years we’ve known each other…”

Sensing that this is more personal than they imagined, I can see the attorneys fidgeting out of the corner of my eyes. Karl’s idly taps his pen on the legal pad in front of him, creating an irritating rhythm. Meanwhile, mine shuffles papers on the table, his jaw tight. We’ve gone far off the rails, but it’s too late to take any of it back now.

“I’ll tell them the honest truth. You were the one who urged me to sabotage Roxanne's cabaret in order to harm her reputation. You hired me to end your son's engagement to her because you wanted to, not because I forced your hand. All I want is for you to own the things you did, Sebastian, with you right alongside me,” Karl points out, his voice sinister and low.

I’m so tense that the muscles in my legs are aching. I pull a chair out and all but throw myself into it, gripping the edge of the conference table, my knuckles turning white. This is a nightmare, and there's no waking up. I can’t even look at Karl, my own fucking brother, right now, knowing how easy it was for him to betray me again and again. He’s so willing to take everything from me, just for his own personal gain.

Karl's demand rings in my ears like a never-ending warning of disaster. Make criminal, disgraced Karl Townsend CEO…it's a bargain that drags me into the void like an anchor.

“When do we need to give you an answer?” My attorney's words are measured, his face a stoic mask of professionalism. I can tell he's trying to gauge my reaction, searching for any sign of me losing my cool once more.

Karl's attorney reclines in his chair, a twisted grin of satisfaction playing on his lips. He's reveling in this moment, enjoying my discomfort. “Before the first hearing, which is scheduled for next week,” he responds, his tone dripping with self-assuredness. “If we get a deal by then, Karl will keep Sebastian out of the story and assume full responsibility.”

“Fine. Very well. We’ll be in touch.” My attorney extends a hand to Karl's attorney, a diplomatic gesture of goodwill. They shake hands, but behind my back, my clenched fists tell a different story.

Finally, they’re leaving. I don’t realize I’ve been holding my breath until they are finally gone. Rising, I walk slowly, feeling twice my age, as I look out the large windows overlooking Amsterdam. The cityscape below is just a chaotic blur.

Once they are gone, my attorney closes the door behind him, and finally breaks the silence. I can feel the intensity of his words before they even hit me. “I know how terrible this all sounds.”

Terrible doesn't even begin to cover it. It's the kind of deal that could ruin everything. How can I go to my wife, my kids, and tell them that I’ve given up everything that is supposed to be the family’s inheritance, without a real fight? They will never be able to look at me the same. “It's the worst deal ever, you mean. I can't accept that….”

The mere thought of it makes my blood boil. Meekly stepping aside to allow Karl, of all people, to ascend to the highest office in our company? It's so wrong that it almost makes me laugh. I don't think I could look a single board member in the eye if I did something that stupid, that out of character. So, I stand here, my back rigid, my jaw clenched, torn between having my name dragged through the mud in court or turning over the company.

My attorney's voice pierces through my inner turmoil again. “So you'd rather go to court and get jail time? Come on, Sebastian, I know you’re trying to reconcile things with your wife, and going to jail is not going to help you in any way. You’d basically be losing the company then, too. If you let Karl be CEO, at least you’ll still get to be on the board and chairman….”

It's a horrifying prospect, and I shudder at the idea. Jail is a place where no Van den Bosch should ever set foot. But the alternative is a bitter, humiliating pill to swallow.

“Maybe I won't…” I mutter under my breath, my mind racing with a thousand scenarios and consequences.

My attorney's words are pragmatic, devoid of the emotional turmoil churning within me. “Unlikely. You have a strong motive, and you are very close to Karl. I'm pretty sure he's got evidence that you were involved in that crime or else they wouldn’t have made the threat in the first place. Plus, your reputation in the media isn’t exactly rosy right now.”

Fuck…he’s not wrong, as much as I hate to admit it. There’s the text messages I sent to Elise, that alone will show that I was quite aware of what was going on. It's true; my proximity to Karl during those fateful events gives him ample ammunition to drag me down with him. He's ready to bring me crashing down, but for what? I’ve protected him so many times, he had to have known that it wouldn’t last forever.

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh. “So what do you suggest? That I make him, a convicted criminal CEO?”

“I understand that’s not an easy decision…but you have to make one. And we don’t have much time.”

I sigh, a deep, gut-wrenching sigh that seems to echo through the room. The weight of the decision is a crushing burden, and I know there's no easy way out. “I need some time alone.”

With that said, my attorney nods in understanding, and quietly leaves the room, turning on his heels without saying another word.

Alone in this room, my mind is a storm, raging as I think about my family's future. The heritage I have a responsibility to preserve, and the dreadful secret I've kept for so long.

How long has Karl been harboring this suspicion about sharing the same father with me? It's a question that gnaws at my mind like a relentless parasite, digging deeper with each passing second. Had he always coveted the CEO position, waiting for the right moment to strike? I find myself drowning in a sea of questions, and I can't seem to catch my breath.

So…what do I do? What are my options? I take a seat again and close my eyes, breathing deeply. If I can just have some time to think, just some peace, maybe I can untangle all of this mess.

The first option is unacceptable—simply giving in to Karl’s demands. It’s the easiest option to preserve my reputation and keep my name out of the media. It also keeps my connection with Karl and his crime to a minimum, but people aren’t stupid. After he’s released, and I turn the CEO position over to him, the world will know I made some sort of deal with him. There’s no other way I would turn the company over to someone like him, half-brother or not.

I could just let Karl force me into court, and face prison time. Like Karl, I likely would only serve a short time before being released for good behavior. It’s wild that this is the most palatable option right now, but a few years in prison to keep Karl quiet…it might just be worth it. But who will be the CEO while I’m gone? Jail isn’t an option either.

On the other hand, though, there’s no guarantee that he won’t simply wait until he’s out of jail to expose me. It would be too late for me to be charged with anything, but it might just destroy my family completely to be torn apart in the media like that.

Blackmail like this isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with in general, but it’s something I’ve never had aimed at myself. This thought makes me pause, and I sit up straighter, opening my eyes. Normally, there’d be no way in hell I’d consider it but…maybe I have someone that can get me out of trouble closer than I think: the woman I still suspect killed my mother and siblings––my mother-in-law, Margaret van Dieren. She’s the most ruthless, cunning person I know.

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