Page 131 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
“Photoshop is a wonderful thing,” he wheezed. “Amazing what you can create when you have the right skills.”
My temper detonated. I released his throat only to slam my fist into his stomach, doubling him over.
“Why?” I roared. “If you claim to care about her so much, why make her suffer? Why put her through hell?”
Victor straightened slowly, wiping blood from his mouth. When he looked up, his eyes were blazing with years of pent-up hatred.
“Because watching you suffer was so much better than being with her,” he spat. “I loved her first, Luca. I met her first. But what did you do? You stepped in and took her like you took everything else in my life.”
“I didn’t take anything from you!”
“Yes, you did!” Victor’s voice cracked with emotion. “That Alpha title? It’s supposed to be mine. I’m older! The CEO position? Supposed to be mine! I wanted Father to look at me with admiration,like I was his son, not a disappointment. But who got all that? You!”
He laughed bitterly. “At least our mother abandoned both of us, but I’m sure if she was to choose between us, she would choose you too. Everybody chooses you, Luca. And what happens to me? You all make me feel so small. Ignore me. But then I thought to use that to my advantage,” he continued, his voice gaining strength. “While you were so busy ignoring me, I was working in the background, doing things you’d never suspect me of. Building an empire you didn’t even know existed.”
I stared at him, seeing him clearly for the first time. Not just my jealous brother, but a man consumed by envy and hatred. A man who’d spent years orchestrating my downfall, who would tear anyone down just to see me fail.
“You robbed me of five years with her,” I said quietly, my voice more dangerous than any shout. “Five years of memories, of love, of—”
“And I’d do it again,” Victor cut in. “Because every day you suffered without her was a day I won. Every night you lay awake thinking about what you’d lost—that was my victory.”
My hands curled into fists. “You destroyed an innocent woman’s life out of spite.”
“Innocent?” Victor scoffed. “She chose you over me. That made her guilty enough.”
“You’re sick, Victor,” I said. “Pathetic. Sick.” I let each word drip with venom, watching the smugness drain from his face until it went taut with anger.
His lips curled into a humorless smile. “Maybe I am. But I’m still the one who outsmarted you for five years. Guess that makes you something worse, Mr. CEO.”
I moved faster than he could react, my hand wrapping around his throat again. This time, I lifted him clean off his feet.
“Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once,” I growled, stepping in so close he could feel the heat of my breath. “You stay the hell away from Leila. If I see you anywhere near what’s mine again—if I even hear your name breathed in the same sentence as hers—I won’t just end you, Victor. I’ll erase you. Piece by piece, until there’s nothing left for the world to remember.”
I released him, letting him crumple to the floor. One last glance at that twisted shrine, then I turned for the door.
“And Victor?” I paused, meeting his eyes. “That empire you built in the shadows? I’ll dismantle it—brick by brick. Starting tomorrow.”
I left him there, choking on the ruins of his own obsession, and walked out.
The truth was finally out. All of it.
Now I had to make sure Leila knew just how sorry I was—and just how much I planned to spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Leila’s POV
I hadn’t heardfrom Luca since yesterday—since the news about him having underground dealings with Cassius started circulating online—and I was getting worried. A part of me felt guilty, because I knew he’d only gotten involved in the first place for me. I could smell the setup from the headline alone. Luca would never—never—get tangled in illegal dealings with notorious rogue leaders, especially not one who had held me by the throat over my father’s debt this past year.
But the entire pack didn’t know the full story. They saw the headline and flew into chaos, convinced their Alpha was without a moral compass.
I scowled as the reporter on the TV spewed more trash about the situation.
Pulling out my phone, I dialed Luca for what was probably the tenth time in the last eighteen hours. Like every other time, it went straight to voicemail.
The sound of Ollie coming down the stairs snapped me back to thepresent. I quickly switched off the TV, not wanting him to see the headlines about his father.
He was carrying the new LEGO set Luca had gotten him, the box almost half his size.
