CHAPTER 4 — The Brother Who Sold Her Out
Nathan didn't sleep that night.
Neither did I.
But for completely different reasons.
For Nathan, it was fear.
For me...
It was memory.
I sat alone in my apartment, staring at the old photograph on my desk.
A picture taken before everything changed.
Before the accusations.
Before the betrayal.
Before my family decided I was easier to erase than to defend.
In the photograph, Nathan and I were children.
He was holding a toy ship.
I was holding a book.
We were standing beside our mother.
Eleanor Reed.
Back then, Nathan wasn't the man who betrayed me.
He was my little brother.
The boy who used to wait outside my bedroom when I was afraid of thunderstorms.
The boy who promised me:
"One day, I'll protect you."
Funny how promises change.
People always say betrayal hurts because someone becomes your enemy.
That's not true.
Betrayal hurts because someone was once your home.
My phone rang.
Admiral Reed.
"You're going to the board meeting."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"You know what that means?"
"I do."
"Arthur will try to destroy your credibility."
I looked at the documents sitting in front of me.
The proof.
The evidence.
The truth.
"He already did that once."
A pause.
"This time, he won't get away with it."
The next morning...
The headquarters of Reed Global Holdings became a battlefield.
Not with weapons.
With words.
Every executive.
Every shareholder.
Every member of the board.
Was gathered.
The same room where my father had built his empire.
The same room where decisions worth billions were made.
Arthur Reed sat at the head of the table.
Nathan beside him.
Exactly where they belonged.
Or so they thought.
When I walked in...
The room went silent.
My father looked annoyed.
"Why are you here?"
I placed a folder on the table.
"Because I was invited."
One board member looked confused.
"By whom?"
I smiled.
"By the evidence."
Nathan's expression changed.
Just slightly.
But I saw it.
Fear.
My father stood.
"This is a private company meeting."
I looked around.
"Interesting."
A pause.
"Because the evidence I have suggests this company was involved in a classified military operation."
The room erupted.
"What?"
"Military?"
"What is she talking about?"
Arthur slammed his hand on the table.
"Enough."
The old Arthur returned.
The intimidating one.
The one who controlled people through fear.
"Celeste, you don't understand what you're accusing me of."
I looked directly at him.
"I understand exactly."
I opened the folder.
"Operation Black Tide."
The room became silent.
Several executives exchanged nervous looks.
Nathan immediately interrupted.
"That file is classified."
I turned toward him.
"Exactly."
A pause.
"Which raises the question..."
I looked at everyone.
"How did a civilian company obtain it?"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew.
My father stepped forward.
"You stole government property."
I laughed softly.
"Is that what you want to focus on?"
I placed another document on the table.
"Not the fact that your company funded an illegal weapons transfer?"
The room froze.
Nathan's face went pale.
One executive whispered:
"Arthur..."
My father ignored him.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
I looked at him.
"No."
A pause.
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
I pointed at the documents.
"I'm exposing the people who almost killed my entire crew."
Then Nathan spoke.
And that was when I knew he had chosen his side.
"She's unstable."
Everyone turned.
My brother leaned back.
The same smug expression returned.
"After the accident, she suffered trauma."
My hands tightened.
He continued.
"She created a story because she couldn't accept what happened."
A few people looked uncertain.
Of course.
That was Nathan's talent.
Not lying.
Making lies sound reasonable.
I stared at him.
"Is that what you tell yourself?"
He looked at me.
"What?"
"That I'm crazy?"
I stepped closer.
"That makes it easier, doesn't it?"
His smile disappeared.
"Because if I'm crazy..."
I held up the document.
"Then you don't have to explain why your signature is on the order."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Nathan's face changed.
My father looked at him.
"Your signature?"
For the first time...
Arthur sounded confused.
Not angry.
Confused.
I looked between them.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because it appeared Nathan had hidden something from my father too.
Nathan quickly recovered.
"This proves nothing."
"Really?"
I placed a photograph on the table.
It showed Nathan entering a private facility two days before the operation.
With someone else.
Someone important.
The room became colder.
My father picked up the photograph.
"Who is this?"
Nathan didn't answer.
I did.
"Victoria Hale."
Several people gasped.
Even my father looked shocked.
Because everyone knew that name.
The woman who had destroyed competing companies.
The billionaire investor known for buying failing corporations and turning them into weapons of profit.
My father stared at Nathan.
"You worked with her?"
Nathan finally lost control.
"You don't understand!"
Everyone froze.
Because angry people reveal truths.
Nathan stood.
"You think I wanted this?"
His voice cracked.
"You think I wanted to spend my entire life standing behind you?"
He looked at Arthur.
"You always chose Celeste."
I froze.
What?
Nathan laughed bitterly.
"She was the brave one."
"She was the talented one."
"She was the daughter everyone respected."
His eyes turned toward me.
"I was just the son who inherited everything."
The room went silent.
And for the first time...
I saw the truth.
Nathan wasn't only arrogant.
He was jealous.
A lifetime of jealousy had turned him into something dangerous.
My father stared at him.
"You betrayed your own family."
Nathan looked at him.
"No."
A pause.
"I became the family you created."
Those words hit harder than anything else.
Because somewhere deep inside...
They were true.
My father built an empire where love was conditional.
Where weakness was punished.
Where winning mattered more than loyalty.
Nathan was his greatest creation.
And his greatest mistake.
Suddenly...
The doors opened.
Security rushed inside.
"Mr. Reed!"
Everyone turned.
The guard looked terrified.
"There is a problem."
Arthur frowned.
"What?"
The guard handed him a tablet.
My father's face changed as he read it.
"What happened?"
He slowly looked up.
"Someone leaked the Black Tide documents."
The room exploded.
Reporters.
Investigators.
Government officials.
Everyone had received the files.
The truth was no longer hidden.
My father looked at me.
"You did this."
I didn't deny it.
"Yes."
His eyes hardened.
"You destroyed your own family."
I looked at him.
"No."
A pause.
"I exposed what was already broken."
I turned toward the door.
But before I left...
My phone received a message.
Unknown number.
Only one sentence:
"You found Nathan's betrayal."
A second message appeared.
"Now find out who ordered him to betray you."
My blood ran cold.
Because I already knew.
Nathan wasn't the mastermind.
He was only a piece.
May you like
And somewhere in the shadows...
The person who wanted me dead was still watching.
