Page 35 of The Shadow King's Brother

Victoria Galli

The cornerof Tuvio’s smile is just a little too practiced, a little too quick to vanish—and paired with my own frustration over snapping at Elio, it leaves a bitter taste rising in my throat. Damn it, why was I so quick to lose it with him today? He didn’t deserve that.

I watch Tuvio disappear down the hall, unease settling in. Not conviction, but caution. Like something is off. Like there’s something I’m not seeing.

He got a phone call about an hour ago. After that, he sighed and went unusually quiet for the rest of the meeting—no witty comments, no easy jokes. Not like him. It wasn’t his usual behavior, and it makes me second-guess everything I thought I knew about him.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid. But I have to be sure. I can’t afford to trust blindly—not anymore.

I don’t tell Elio. Not yet. It’s probably nothing, and I don’t want to sound paranoid or feel like a fool.

Tuvio has been our only ally for almost a year. He wouldn’t betray us.

Would he?

I slip out of the office, grabbing my keys, my pulse picking up. It’s not panic, but it’s something close to it. My personal car, waits for me in the garage. I slide in, the leather cool beneath me, and start the engine.

I drive after him, keeping a careful distance, like a detective in a bad movie. My eyes dart to his car, a bulky blue monstrosity, as he weaves through the city streets. He drives with a purpose, a destination in mind, the way a guilty man might. My suspicion is growing into a full-blown certainty.

... I’m not crazy. Am I?

Then he turns onto a crowded street. Bensen Road. I recognize the name—from when I looked into Broad.

Up ahead, the structure looms, unmistakable: the Broad Corporation. A hollow sense of victory stirs in my chest. Got you.

But the thought doesn't bring satisfaction—just cold, unwelcome confirmation.

Instead of heading to the main entrance, he veers off to the side and slips into the underground parking structure beneath the building. A dark, gaping maw. Perfect.

My heart hammers against my ribs as I make a sharp turn and follow, staying back. I park far from his car, deep in the shadows behind a concrete support column.

He’s not going to know I’m here.

He quickly exits his car and heads toward what looks like a bank of elevators. I watch as he presses the call button and steps inside as soon as the doors open.

He’s going to the ground floor, floor 0.

I sprint toward the stairs near the elevators, my heels clicking against the concrete. I barely make it before I am out of breath. I begin to climb inside the stairwell, my muscles screaming with each step as I push myself to keep up with him. I reach the lobby on floor 0, my lungs are practically burning as I stumble into the lobby.

Careful. Don’t let him see you.

I duck behind a cluster of large potted plants. Tuvio’s there, waiting. Then he approaches a man—no, two men—and a woman. She’s older, wearing glasses. They exchange quick, overly casual hugs, then slip through a door at the end of the hall.

Who are they?

The building rises around me like a fortress of glass and steel—cold, impersonal. So this is their base of operations? It’s nothing flashy, just plain and deliberate.

Thisis what Tuvio’s been hiding? Is he part of it?

I don’t know what to believe anymore—but I need to find out what the hell is going on behind those walls.

I move, slipping through the main entrance like a ghost. The lobby is all polished stone and hushed silence, deliberately sterile.

I crouch behind another plant closer to the door he went through. The leaves barely shield me, but it’s enough. My muscles tense.

More people file in—men mostly, a few women—all heading in the same direction. Their footsteps echo softly. Each one wears the same blank expression.

Then the door closes—a heavy thud—and all I can do is wait. My eyelids feel heavy as if something is pulling me under. I shake my head, trying to stay sharp, my eyes darting around the lobby, catching every detail.

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