17. Betrayal’s Sting
Chapter seventeen
Betrayal’s Sting
X ander
When I arrive at the café, Marcus is already there, face tense, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table.
“Alex,” he says, and the urgency in his voice makes me sit down. “It’s worse than I thought.”
“Just tell me,” I demand, crossing my arms. “What happened?”
“It’s Logan. He’s taken over Riviera.”
I stare at him, disbelief washing over me. “What do you mean, taken over?”
“He’s holding a meeting tonight to celebrate the new direction.”
“Celebrate?” My anger simmers just beneath the surface. “What the hell is he celebrating? This was my project! I’ve put everything into it!”
Marcus lowers his voice, leaning closer. “You need to stay away, Alex. This is dangerous for your reputation. Your face is on every single tabloid…”
“Dangerous? I don’t give a shit. I’m not going to let him walk away with what I’ve built!”
Marcus throws his hands up in frustration. “You’re just going to make things worse. I’m telling you; he’s got Jean Luc on his side.”
“Fine. Whatever. But I need to see this for myself,” I mutter, rising to my feet.
“Just think about it—”
But I’m already out the door, ignoring the nagging voice in my head. I can’t just sit back and let him take what’s mine.
The venue is a sprawling, glass-fronted conference hall, sleek and shiny. It’s buzzing with chatter, the kind that grates on my nerves as I push through the crowd. My gut twists as I navigate the sea of unfamiliar faces.
I slip into a seat at the back, just as Logan fucking West steps up to the podium, radiating confidence.
“Welcome, everyone!” he booms, and the crowd claps like trained seals. “Thank you for joining us on this exciting new venture for Project Riviera.”
I can’t help it; I roll my eyes. This guy is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
“Together, we’re going to revolutionize the industry,” he continues, gesturing widely as if he’s giving a TED Talk instead of hijacking my work.
Vanessa stands next to him, a bright smile plastered on her face. “It’s been a challenging few months for all of us, but Logan has been a true friend.”
My stomach twists at her words. Friends? I could scream.
Logan leans in closer to her, the way he looks at her—like he’s got some secret they’re sharing, and I’m not part of it. “I want to thank Vanessa for her unwavering support,” he says, and the audience claps again.
It’s sickening. My jaw clenches, and I force myself to breathe through the rising anger.
“We have some incredible plans ahead,” Logan continues. “I’m thrilled to announce that the project will be spearheaded by the three of us.”
My heart drops into my stomach. The three of us?
Then I see him. David, my best friend, stepping onto the stage, all smiles and applause. I can’t breathe. The betrayal feels like a punch to the gut.
“David!” I whisper, my voice filled with disbelief. How could he do this?
Logan’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “We’re going to make Riviera the flagship of innovation in our field. It’s a game-changer!”
The crowd erupts in applause, but all I hear is the pounding of my heart, the blood rushing in my ears.
“Logan has a vision,” David adds, standing proudly next to him, and I can’t take it anymore. Every little string is coming together.
Lena was never the mole.
It had been David all along, because other than Ellie, he is the only other person who knew what I was truly working on.
Question is Why? Why would he do this to me?
I rise to my feet, fists clenched. “This is bullshit!”
Heads turn. Logan’s smug smile falters. “Ah, Alexander. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re too busy stealing my project to notice.”
The room falls silent. I can feel the weight of their gazes on me, the tension crackling in the air.
“Stealing?” Logan scoffs, shaking his head. “You’ve been absent, Xander. You let the project slip through your fingers.”
“No, I didn’t. You took advantage of me being tied up with other commitments. You used espionage. You used Vanessa to get me distracted. You knew you could never win fair and square so you did this,” I shoot back. “You’ve been playing this all along, haven’t you?”
“Enough,” Logan says, the smirk returning. “This is a new beginning. You should learn to adapt.”
“Adapt? Is that your excuse for backstabbing?”
Vanessa steps forward, her expression pleading. “Xander, we didn’t mean for it to come to this. It just… happened.”
“Right,” I scoff. “Convenient how that happens. You’ve both been in on this together, haven’t you?”
David shifts uncomfortably, his eyes avoiding mine. “It’s not like that, Alexander—”
“It sure as hell looks like that!” I snap, anger boiling over. “You’re standing on that stage celebrating the theft of my work!” That is when I see his face turn into stone.
“Interesting that you chose to mention theft,” David spits out.
What the hell is he talking about? I can’t process his words. The room is spinning, and I can’t tell if it’s from my own rage or the shock of what’s just happened.
“What do you mean, theft?” I shoot back, trying to keep my voice steady. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
David takes a step closer, his expression hardening. “You know exactly what I mean, Alex. It’s funny how you’re so quick to cry ‘theft’ when your father’s been the biggest fraud in this industry.”
The air in the room thickens, like I’m suffocating under the weight of his accusation. “What?”
“Your father—Franklin Morgan—isn’t dead, Alex. He’s been in prison for fraud for years.”
“Shut the hell up,” I snap, disbelief coursing through me. “That’s not possible.”
“It’s true,” David continues, and the intensity in his voice is unnerving. “He stole millions from my father, and you’ve known this all along.”
The cameras around the room zoom in, capturing the unfolding drama. It feels like a nightmare, one I can’t wake up from.
“You’re lying,” I manage to say, but my voice wavers. “You’re just trying to turn this against me.”
Logan grins, enjoying the chaos. “No, Xander. David’s got a point. The world thought your father was dead, but he’s been living in a cell, facing the consequences of his actions.”
I shoot a glance at Vanessa, hoping for some support, but her eyes are filled with guilt.
“Alex, I didn’t know,” she says, stepping forward, her voice trembling. “I swear. David told me after—after everything happened.”
“So, you’re both in on this? Just playing me like a damn fool?”
“Listen,” David says, frustration lacing his words. “I was hurt. Your family ruined mine. My father lost everything because of your dad. I didn’t plan this. It just… happened. I needed the position. I had to protect my family.”
“You had to protect your family?” I laugh bitterly. “What about my family? What about me?”
The audience watches, the silence deafening. I can almost hear the gears turning in their heads, judging me, weighing the evidence against my father.
“Alex, please,” Vanessa pleads, reaching for my arm. “We didn’t want it to go this far. We thought it could work out. Logan convinced us…”
“Logan?” I spit out his name like poison. “Logan’s the one who orchestrated this whole thing. You’re just his puppet.”
Logan raises an eyebrow, amused. “Puppet? I think you’re just mad because you’re losing control. This is business, Xander. You’re too emotional to see the bigger picture.”
“Emotional?” I laugh, a bitter sound. “You think I’m emotional? I’m furious, Logan! You’ve taken everything from me. This was my project, my vision, and you’ve turned it into your damn playground.”
“And you thought you could just stroll back in here like nothing happened?” he fires back, shrugging. “You’ve been absent, and now you want to claim what’s rightfully mine?”
I step forward, my heart racing with rage. “What’s rightfully yours? You think this is yours? You’ve hijacked something that was built on my sweat and blood!”
David holds up a hand, his face pale. “Let’s just think for a second. We can work this out.”
“Work it out? You mean I should just hand over my hard work to you two?”
The audience murmurs, some whispering, others taking notes. I can practically see the headlines forming in their minds.
“Alex,” Vanessa says softly, her eyes pleading. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Right, because it’s gone so well for me so far,” I snap, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “You’ve both betrayed me in the worst way. And you think I’m just going to sit back and let it happen?”
“Maybe if you’d kept up with the project instead of hiding in your little world fucking your assistant, you wouldn’t be in this position,” Logan mocks, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Keep her name out of your fucking mouth,” I say.
“Seems I did strike a nerve,” Logan smirks. “Now Xander, enough with the theatrics. This is my day. I won this round. I am launching this project. Maybe you can get the next one. Now if security can escort Mr. Blackwood out…”
I take a deep breath, trying to rein in the chaos swirling in my mind. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? Playing all sides like a fucking chess master?”
“I’m just smarter than you,” he replies, his confidence infuriating. “I always have been.”
David steps closer, desperation in his voice. “I didn’t want this, Alex. You have to understand. I was stuck. I didn’t know how to save my family without making a choice.”
“You saved your family by screwing me over?”
“I had to do what I had to do,” he says, his voice low. “Your dad ruined mine. I thought I could make it right.”
I shake my head, disbelief washing over me again. “Make it right? By backstabbing your best friend?”
“Let’s not pretend we were ever that close,” he counters, the bitterness seeping through. “You’ve been living in your bubble while I’ve been dealing with the fallout from your father’s actions. You have no idea what it’s like.”
“You think I don’t know about sacrifice? About loss?”
The room is tense, every pair of eyes on us, waiting for the next move.
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I demand. “Why keep it a secret?”
“Because I was scared,” he admits, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought if I could get this project under control, maybe it would change everything.”
“And instead, you’ve just turned everything into a disaster.”
Logan interrupts, stepping in. “This isn’t about you anymore, Alex. It’s about moving forward. We have a project to run.”
“Run? You’re ruining it!” I shout back, frustration boiling over. “You’re taking something that was built on trust and destroying it for your gain.”
The audience watches, rapt. I can see some taking photos, capturing this moment of chaos.
“Maybe it’s time you realized you can’t always get what you want,” Logan says, his voice dripping with condescension.
“Maybe it’s time you learned that you can’t just take from others without consequence.”
Vanessa tries to interject. “We can fix this! Alex, we can work together— all three of us. This will bring in millions in profit…”
“No,” I cut her off, shaking my head. “I don’t want to work with you. Not after this. And expect to hear from my lawyers about that defamation suit.”
There is an audible murmur in the crowd.
“Then what do you want?” David asks, frustration evident in his tone. “To keep fighting? To throw everything away?”
“Yes!” I shout, surprising even myself. “I’d rather fight than let you take what I built. You think I’m going to roll over and let you win?”
The crowd murmurs, the tension thick enough to slice with a knife.
“Logan has the power now, Alex. You’re on the losing side,” David says, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“I don’t care,” I reply fiercely, a spark igniting inside me. “I refuse to be a pawn in your game.”
The meeting has turned into a battleground, and I’m not ready to back down. I glance at Vanessa, her expression a mix of regret and determination.
“Maybe I was wrong about you,” she says, taking a step closer. “But we can find a way out of this.”
I shake my head, the anger simmering beneath the surface. “There’s no way out for me anymore. You’ve both made your choices.”
Logan leans in, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “And now you’re going to have to deal with the fallout.”
“I’ll deal with it my way,” I spit back. “And I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth about you two.”
The audience gasps, and I can feel the energy shift, the tide turning in my favor.
David’s eyes widen. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, I would.” I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “I’ll expose everything. You want to play dirty? Fine. Let’s play.”
With that, I turn on my heel and storm out, the weight of betrayal heavy on my shoulders but the fire of determination igniting my resolve. I can’t let them win.
Not now, not ever.
TO BE CONTINUED…
If you loved Ardent Desires , continue to follow Ellie and Xander’s love story in Ardent Desires Volume II: Edge of Secrets . Read the SNEAK PEAK of Chapter 1 on the very next page !