Page 66 of Ardent Desires

Question isWhy? Why would he do this to me?

I rise to my feet, fists clenched. “This is bullshit!”

Heads turn. Logan’s smug smile falters. “Ah, Alexander. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Of course you didn’t. You’re too busy stealing my project to notice.”

The room falls silent. I can feel the weight of their gazes on me, the tension crackling in the air.

“Stealing?” Logan scoffs, shaking his head. “You’ve been absent, Xander. You let the project slip through your fingers.”

“No, I didn’t. You took advantage of me being tied up with other commitments. You used espionage. You used Vanessa to get me distracted. You knew you could never win fair and square so you did this,” I shoot back. “You’ve been playing this all along, haven’t you?”

“Enough,” Logan says, the smirk returning. “This is a new beginning. You should learn to adapt.”

“Adapt? Is that your excuse for backstabbing?”

Vanessa steps forward, her expression pleading. “Xander, we didn’t mean for it to come to this. It just… happened.”

“Right,” I scoff. “Convenient how that happens. You’ve both been in on this together, haven’t you?”

David shifts uncomfortably, his eyes avoiding mine. “It’s not like that, Alexander—”

“It sure as hell looks like that!” I snap, anger boiling over. “You’re standing on that stage celebrating the theft of my work!” That is when I see his face turn into stone.

“Interesting that you chose to mention theft,” David spits out.

What the hell is he talking about?I can’t process his words. The room is spinning, and I can’t tell if it’s from my own rage or the shock of what’s just happened.

“What do you mean, theft?” I shoot back, trying to keep my voice steady. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

David takes a step closer, his expression hardening. “You know exactly what I mean, Alex. It’s funny how you’re so quick to cry ‘theft’ when your father’s been the biggest fraud in this industry.”

The air in the room thickens, like I’m suffocating under the weight of his accusation. “What?”

“Your father—Franklin Morgan—isn’t dead, Alex. He’s been in prison for fraud for years.”

“Shut the hell up,” I snap, disbelief coursing through me. “That’s not possible.”

“It’s true,” David continues, and the intensity in his voice is unnerving. “He stole millions from my father, and you’ve known this all along.”

The cameras around the room zoom in, capturing the unfolding drama. It feels like a nightmare, one I can’t wake up from.

“You’re lying,” I manage to say, but my voice wavers. “You’re just trying to turn this against me.”

Logan grins, enjoying the chaos. “No, Xander. David’s got a point. The world thought your father was dead, but he’s been living in a cell, facing the consequences of his actions.”

I shoot a glance at Vanessa, hoping for some support, but her eyes are filled with guilt.

“Alex, I didn’t know,” she says, stepping forward, her voice trembling. “I swear. David told me after—after everything happened.”

“So, you’re both in on this? Just playing me like a damn fool?”

“Listen,” David says, frustration lacing his words. “I was hurt. Your family ruined mine. My father lost everything because of your dad. I didn’t plan this. It just… happened. I needed the position. I had to protect my family.”

“You had to protect your family?” I laugh bitterly. “What about my family? What about me?”

The audience watches, the silence deafening. I can almost hear the gears turning in their heads, judging me, weighing the evidence against my father.

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