Chapter 1

Maximillian

 

"Darn it..." I muttered as I read the report from the latest PI

 

"Tough luck, huh?"

 

 

Jared, my annoyingly little brother by two years, smirked while looking at the tumbler on his hand as if it had all the answers in the world. We have never seen eye to eye but since that fateful night I folded to our parents demands five years ago, our relationship has never been the same again. While we still get together for family holidays and gatherings, Jared was the black ship of the family. As a proud owner of a multi-million dollar Bike company, I could not be more proud of him but the change in career for Jared had come about so suddenly when he had pulled away from the family company three years ago. While I understood that his passion in creation and bikes in general I just never thought he would pull away from Price Oil Company and leave the way he did. 

 

Three and a half years ago, he stormed into my office, quit and stormed right off, with only:

 

"I cant stand seeing your face everyday and not want to beat the shit out of you, family or not... she cant ask me of this"  for an explanation!!!! I stormed after him, demanding answers but as usually our dear old dad was right outside my offce door talking to my assistant and called after me the moment he saw us. Just as door to the elevators opened dad stopped me and said "let him go, he will talk to you when he calm down" Jared had sneered at me from inside the elevator, anger and something akin to disgust flittered on his face right before the elevator doors closed.

 

Now that annoying smirk and that likely anger that Jared wore like a shield around family adorned his face. The smirk said he knows something I do not, the anger I could not fathom. I made a lot of mistakes, the worst am still trying to rectify damrn it..... 

 

"Beth where might you be doll..."  I whispered to myself as I looked at a picture of her and me on my office desk.

 

"Don't you think she would have reached out by now if she wanted found?"

 

Just as I was about to ask what he meant by that, the door to my office bust open and my ex wife Michelle come storming in followed by my assistant who looked flushed from trying to stop Michelle from budging in unannounce. She did not pause to greet Jared, there was no love lost between them but come on he was my brother and the total disrespect and hateful comments they kept tossing at each other whenever they were near, brings with it one of my many headaches associated with Michelle,

 

"How could you do that?.... I need that account for Michael's weekely expenditure" Well no greeting for me too it seemed.

 

"Michael does not need any weekly expenditures from you as he no longer stays with you, remember?" I asked as tolerantly as I could.

 

Jared sarcastic chuckles did not help with the situation. He looked as if he was in a movies theater, enjoying himself.

 

"That is my right as his mother, wether he lives with me or not!!! I deserve to be pampered for bringing the 1st grandchild of Price" She shouted. 

 

"NO!! You deserve to stay very far from this family if you know what is good for you?"

 

"Are you threating me Maximillian?

 

 

She asked shocked, I have never used a harsh tone with her no matter how much she threw my way but today of all days I was not in the mood for her antics, she had proved to be undeserving mother not once but twice after our divorce. I had full custody of Michael and she can visit him wherenever she wants as long as she did not take him without my conset.

 

"It is not a threat Michelle, merely a statement. Now get out" I pointed to the door

 

"Martha will hear of this..." she stated referring to our mother. She stormed out of my office.

 

"You deserve this" Jared stated as he stared at me.

 

"What?!" I asked incredulously, I understand sibling rivarly but it sometimes with Jared it felt as though my own brother did not like me.

 

"What did I do to deserve all that crap?!" I asked pointing towards my office door.

 

"Oh, he doesnt know?!" Jared muttered 

 

"Is this about Beth?"

 

"You have no right to call her that..."

 

he stated clenching his jaw. I understood that when I had hurt Beth, I hurt Jared by default as they were best of friends. Their friendship had been so thick growing up and even though Beth was a year younger that Jared it never hindred their friendship, with the bad blood between our families as Beth's family was our major business rivalry but they had never let it bother them and while Jared friendship was accepted at the Castor's, Beth was never welcomed into our home. It made Jared spend a lot of his time at Beth's home and in later years Jasmine our little sister started to tag along. Beth being the only child soaked up both their friendship and her parents were very accomodating to my siblings.

I did not get to know Beth until during Jared collage years where they went to Harvard together. The first day I met Beth, Jared knew I had it bad, he warned me right off not to mess their friendship with my stupidity... I tried, I truly did......... and I failed terribly.

Chapter 2

Elizabeth

 

Damn! I am late for this meeting and Jared would have my hide. Jared, just thinking of him had me smile, that man saved my life in so many ways and I know I could never repay him. He held me up when I was in my worst deepest pit but hey who is counting, at least that is what he would have said. He gave me his name when I would have been left stranded and alone, even though my parents would have supported me, I could not live with their dissapointment. Jared and Marrick said it was a win win situation for the three of us. As partners who could not come out of the closet due to family entanglements me marrying Jared in name seemed to solve a lot of their problems even though Jared  family were not aware of the woman he married and he wanted to keep it that way. He had them believing that it might be a woman of Chinese  descent. Well I really do not care what they thought as long as they stayed very far away from me and my son. That family did nothing but bring heartache to me and mine, personally Jared could not tell them anything and I would very okay with it.

Talking of the devil, he was calling...

 

"hello doll..." I could hear the affection and smile in his voice.

 

"You would not hello doll me when you hear I am late to attend the meeting as your representative again"

 

"Nah...you the bosses wife, that makes you the boss of the boss, chill. Called you to ask how Nathan is doing, looking forward to coming home this weekend with Marrick"

 

"The doctors said he is doing good considering his heart condition and he has been takin more and more excersies compared to his last checkup, he would be over the moon to see Marrick that man travels too much" as a well soughtout international model with the connection that Marrick has from his family side the agencies he works with all the world can not seem not to need him every two seconds.

 

"What is the reply to my proposal B?" the man swiftly changed the topic to the one I am sure was the one he really needed to talk with me.

"You know where I stand with this J, I do not think its the right time considering Nathan's health and the company expansion. Your brother took away the right to know about his son when he decided marirage to his ex girlfriend turned baby mama was the right path for him while leaving his present girlfriend who might I remind you he had agreed with to start a family with, I stopped taking birth control a month before Jared!!! please dont do this, if we are too much..." 

 

"Dont you dare finish that sentence Elizabeth...."

 

"Elizabeth??... you wife's name is Elizabeth?"

 

that bewildered voicesurely belonged to Jared Maximillian Price, heart on the throat I hung up on Jared as fast as my shaking hands could allow me. Lord! what that voice does to my libido! even now my pants where damp just from hearing his damn voice damnit... that man and all his sexy voice is nothing but trouble for my mind, body and soul.

 

Maximillian 

 

"Elizabeth??... you wife's name is Elizabeth?"

 

even I could hear the confusion in my voice and I know it was reflected on my godamn face, damn it how many Elizabeth's can my brother know? It wasnt such a common name anymore and all the times Jared kept avoiding the issue about his wife and life in China, all the threats he made to the family about digging his life or anything related to China kept circling on my head. Every investigation turn cold or that ended too soon. I remember the last investigator telling me to talk to my brother's friend Marrick when I asked why he had replied with you said not to investigate your brother who was Elizabeth's best friend so I investigated their other mutual friend, that conversation had skipped my mind because just then a call had come in inforiming me Michelle was on to her lastest antics. Now looking at my brother's ashen face and twitching eyebrow were dead give ways that I was not going to like what I am going to hear.

 

"let's go finish this coversation back to your office"

 

Jared said looking tired and defeated all at once. 

I nodded and led the way because I wasnt sure if my voice could work at that moment, I just had this gut feeling that my life is going to take a three eighty with whatever my brother was going to dump on my head. I knew it wasnt good to eave drop on my brother when he was on his phone, but he left my office when I received a call and there was a really important issue about partnering with his company on a joint venture with ours, by the way I needed some fresh. Imagine my surprise when I saw him near the main entrance of our office building, face soft and affectionate, genuinely smiling while on his phone! I had not seen this side of Jared for years even the tabloids have termed him "the badboy billionaire" with his love for leather and bikes they were dead on the target, so forgive me if I was a little bit oh hell alot more curious but I need a glimpse of this side of my brother's life.

 

The moment I sat down on my office chair, he said

 

"I married Beth three years ago..." he stated it so casually as he went to get another drink.

 

 

Maximillian

" No" I stated numbly, staring at my brothers casual stance.

 

"Yes" Jared arrogantly stated 

 

"How could you do that to me? You know very well why I did what I did.."

 

"No Marx, what I know is you chose the cowards way out and hurt the best thing that has ever happened to your life"

 

I snorted and sneer at my brother, "yeah right, and she went to sleep with the first man she could get her hands on and got hitched" I stated angrily.

Jared stared at me for a long time with that smirk and tumbler on his hand, I knew he was weighing his next words but danm it I needed to assuge my anger, dissapointment and the feeling of betrayal. I banged my hands on the desk infront of me and stood walking towards my brother, he watched me with a calm of a tiger waiting to strike, with Jared thats the most telling sign he either preparing to strike or shut down.

 

"How could you? I am your fucking brother for christsake! How could she?!"

 

"I saw an opportunity and used it, the same way you did when dad offered you the company over Beth, I.."

 

i did not feel or see myself  moving, but I onto my brother and the punch hit him square on his face, the sound of nose break did nothing to assuge me, Jared stood up to his full height, holding his broken nose with one hand.

 

"You broke her and I would only tell you this once, 1-

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.08.2021

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