Page 74 of Sebastian.

Finally I manage to catch my breath enough to speak. “Karl?Why in the world would he do that? You two were so close back then.”

“It turns out,” Sebastian begins, his voice laced with bitterness. “That he already knew he was my brother all those years ago. So taking me out would have made him the oldest son—the man that my father would hand the reins to when he was ready to retire.”

Everything he’s saying makes so much sense, but it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around all of it this quickly. “Do you really think he would have gone so far as to kill you just to take your place in the company?”

Sebastian nods. “Yes. In the company…and in the family.”

Shaking my head, I rake a hand through my hair, full of nervous energy all of the sudden. “Okay…say that you and Mom are right. Even if it was him, what evidence do you have?”

“That’s where things get tough,” he admits, his head cocking on the side as he mulls over his next set of words. “We only have the theory at this point, not the evidence. However…I’m fairly sure that this is something we can…work on.”

I’m not following and shoot him a frown. “Elaborate, please.”

“Think about it, Jules.” My husband leans towards me now, the passion in his voice evident. “The thing is we only need to pretend we’ve got some sort of strong evidence pointing that it was him, and he’ll more than likely fold. All I want for him is to sign the goddamn settlement, do five years in jail, and I’ll even make sure he still has a position at the company once he’s out. A non-executive position, of course.”

I hold up a hand, my mind racing. “Wait a second. I’m still processing all of this ‘Karl is the killer’ theory that you’ve just laid at my feet, but I have to ask….why the hell can’t he just be fired from the company once and for all? He’s ruining all of our lives, Seb.”

“Julia, it’s not that simple…”

I huff out a humorless laugh. “Sebastian, come on. How is it not that simple? He’s always in the news for charges pressed against him and for trials, constantly! He’s a convicted rapist, for goodness sakes.”

My husband shakes his head, as if I’m still not understanding his point. “I know, I know…but he’s got leverage, as you know, and I have no interest in having Karl drag me to court. He’s a vindictive asshole, Jules, and he won't rest until he’s had his revenge…if I boot him from the company completely, that is. He’s going to need a job once he’s out, and if I provide him one, that should be incentive enough for him to leave me and the rest of the family alone.”

What he’s saying makes sense, even if it makes me nervous to even consider. “You’re banking a lot on just an assumption, Seb.”

“All I need for him to sign that settlement is to make him think that I’ve got evidence against him for a much bigger crime…a crime that can get him twenty years behind bars, as opposed to five.”

Manipulations like this go against everything that I’ve ever stood for as a judge…but I will do anything for my family. Just like Sebastian will. “What do you want me to do, then?”

“Just speak to Gabi about it. I’m sure she’d be happy to help.”

I shake my head. “Gabi won’t go as far as faking evidence. This is her career on the line, you know.”

“I'm not asking her to fake evidence,” Sebastian assures me. “Instead, I think she should reopen the case about the murder of my family with this new piece of information. If I recall correctly, her father was pretty involved in the case back then. I'm sure she can find something in his notes or paperwork that can be traced back to Karl, now that we know that's the direction we should be looking in.”

I look away from my husband at the cold, empty fireplace, pondering what he's asked me. “Fine, I will help you, but in exchange, you have to agree to never ever side against your family again. Do you hear me?” I fix him with a cold gaze. “It's because of you and your petty decisions that we are all in this mess today.”

“I know.” Sebastian heaves a long sigh, his eyes dropping to his lap as I sense the disappointment mounting on him. “I was fucking blind, Jules. Karl fed me lies and played into my fears. All the while he was just making sure to turn me against my family to manipulate me better, I—” he cuts off, clearly taken aback by his emotional turmoil. “I was so damned stupid. I fired Elise when she was the only true ally I had in the snake pit my own company has become.”

The urge to surge forward and hold him is strong, but I resist, keeping my distance. “I'm glad you finally opened your eyes.” The energy between us is shifting, becoming warmer, so I change the subject back to the charges. “We do need some kind of evidence to scare Karl enough to comply. I'll arrange a meeting with Gabi to see what her father gathered and if it can be traced back to him.”

Relief comes over Sebastian's face, making the stress lines around his mouth fade. “Thank you so much, Julia, I…” He reaches out towards me, but I hold up a hand to stop him, not yet ready to take that step in our reconciliation...even if I want to.

“Don't thank me yet. We'll see if our plan works.”

Sebastian doesn't seem satisfied with me rebuking him, and I'm afraid that I won't be strong enough to tell him to stop if he reaches for me again. I want him so much.

Before I can make any decisions that I might regret later, the butler knocks on the library door, making us both jump.

“Dinner is ready,” he announces.

Seb looks sheepish as he stands, offering me his hand. “I guess we should go join the kids.”

“Yeah.” I accept his hand, and his smile returns. “Let's go.”

Our relationship isn't fully fixed yet, but we're slowly coming together. The next few days are going to be important to the success of the family as a whole, and I have to be ready. For now, though, it will be nice to have dinner with the kids and my husband for the first time in a while. I'm looking forward to it so much.

The table is set, and the nanny brings Aleida, Joris and Arthur to the table. Hannah, to my surprise, is already there, and she rolls her eyes when she sees me.

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