Page 52 of The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée (French Conquests 1)

Liam shrugged. “In the event that you would be unable to collect, then it would all go to Willa and any otherlegitimategrandchildren upon their thirty-fifth birthday. Once Sophia realized I was serious about divorce, and the loss in wealth the process would induce, Martin no longer served her interests. If there’s one thing Sofia knows how to do, it’s nabbing the highest earner.”

Alex took a second to process this, to take in the anguish on his brother’s face. If his brother went through with the divorce, he would lose most of his wealth. His mind went hurtling back to the incident with the horse, and Sofia’s ham-handed attempt to get rid of Jacyn. Had she known she was pregnant then? Would Sofia be so low as to attempt to trap Alex, now that Liam no longer wanted to be with her. To pin her baby on him? That kiss in his office that morning, had she been trying to seduce him?

Before he could process any more, Liam was talking again. “My marriage is over, and my family is torn apart. I’ve lived without love for ten whole years. And yet there you are, throwing away your one chance at happiness. All because you’re such a goddamn coward, you can’t go after a woman who is so clearly meant to be for you. So, if you don’t want to be with Jacyn, maybe I should head over to Jacy–”

Before Liam could finish the last syllable, Alex was on him, leaping like a panther, the force of his body knocking Liam backward. Immediately, his brother responded, taking the first punch on the chin but blocking the next, and retaliating in kind.

They hit the floor rolling, each man struggling for dominance. Both trained in martial arts, equally fit, equally strong. They brawled like strangers in the street, knocking over chairs and side tables and sending coffee-table books sliding to the floor.

Alex straddled Liam and drew back his arm to let a punch fly—but Liam bucked like a marlin on deck, flinging him off and onto his back, then threw his body over his, struggling to pin him. Again, they rolled until Alex had his brother’s head in a lock. Liam reached back, grasped a handful of Alex’s hair and yanked downward, leveraging his weight and not letting go for a second until Alex tumbled to the side.

And so they were caught, each trapped within the power of the other. Each refusing to yield.

Then, by unspoken mutual agreement, they released each other and lay panting on the floor next to each other.

“Asshole,” Alex growled.

“Connard,”Liam responded. He rose and offered his brother a hand.

Alex took it, rising too. He wondered briefly what the office staff outside the door must have thought about all that noise. He was glad they’d been trained not to invade his privacy no matter what.

Liam was chuckling. “You just made my point for me.”

“Huh?” Alex questioned, smoothing down his jacket and setting his tie straight.

“We haven’t fought like that since we were kids. And you certainly never attacked me since we became adults… not even when,” he paused, looking pained, then went on. “You found out I hurt Sofia.”

Alex glared at him. “Your point being?”

“That a man only fights like that over the woman he loves. It took the mention of Jacyn’s name to trigger you. What does that say to you?”

Dammit,Alex thought. He hated it when Liam was right. He needed to do something. If only he knew what that something was.

Liam watched him shrewdly, and a look of satisfaction crossed his face when he realized he’d gotten through to Alex. “There you go,” he said softly.

They perched side by side on the edge of Alex’s monstrosity of an oak desk, gathering their thoughts, feeling closer than they had in a decade.

“I wonder what papa would think if he could see us now,” Liam murmured. “The shambles we’ve made of our lives over women.”

Papa.Something came back to Alex, and he got up, walking swiftly to the wall safe, punching in the codes and opening it. Then he brought something back, a stark white envelope, still sealed.

“Our father left this,” he said to Liam. “I never opened it, but I guess now is as good a time as any.” He broke the seal and unfolded the single sheet of linen paper. It was covered in his father’s scrawl: harsh, thick lines in black ink. He held it so they could both read. A father’s final word to his sons.

The room suddenly went cold; it was as if the world went gray. The two men turned to each other in shock, and the letter in Alex’s hand felt as if it weighed ten pounds. “No,” Alex made a grab for the waste basket near his desk and then threw up his lunch. “This isn’t possible.”

Liam’s face was ash-gray, and his head fell into his hands. “All these years… all this time. My God. I’ve lived with guilt and shame, wondering what I would tell Willa when she asked about me and her mother. My God, you’ve hated me for years.”

“I didn’t—” Alex began, but stopped, because what he was about to say next was a lie. It was anger and bitterness and, yes, hate, that had driven him away from his home. And now, they were finding out it had all been for nothing. How could this grotesque monster who’d called himself their father have done this to them? And keeping it a secret knowing how much hurt it had caused?

“I never raped Sofia,” Liam said softly, as if repeating it to himself could erase the horrible years of self-recrimination and self-disgust. “I didn’t touch her.”

CHAPTER 18

IT MIGHT NOT BE theeasything to do, but it was therightthing. That’s the argument Jacyn had made to Sienna last night when she’d disclosed that her stepmother had invited her to family dinner. Sienna had lost it, urging her to cut all ties. “Why do you keep letting these people hurt you?” she had demanded.

“Because they’re family. And at the moment, family is all I’ve got.”

Which wasn’t exactly true. In the past couple of weeks since she’d been back from France, she’d seen Sienna almost every day. Her ride-or-die had turned up at Jacyn’s apartment mere hours after Alex’s limo service had dropped her off from the airport, and cooked her up a nice greasy American breakfast, a welcome change after two months of delicate French pastries, jellies and jams. It did wonders to indulge in a little junk!

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