Chapter 26
Xavier
The silence after Cassidy's confession had been suffocating.
But it was nothing compared to the animosity I was getting from the brothers now that we'd established I could be Frank's oldest son.
Yet all I felt was guilt.
Cassidy had only revealed the secret she'd been burdened with for twenty-one years because she’d been defending me. She'd done that for me—ripped open her oldest wound, exposed her deepest fear, all to prove Frank was capable of exactly what my mother had claimed he'd done.
This was Cassidy's moment. Not mine.
They should be caring for her, telling her that everything would be okay.
Now Mitch stared at me like I'd just stolen everything he loved.
"March fifteenth," Mitch repeated, his voice flat. "You’re three weeks older than me."
Christ. I hadn't even thought about the financial consequences of me being Frank Branson's child, let alone inheriting anything.
"Frank's will left everything to his oldest son," Declan said again, slower this time, like he was working through the implications as he spoke.
"I didn't even know I had brothers before yesterday, let alone?—"
"You still don't have fucking brothers, mate." Kayden's face had gone from shock to fury. "So what if you're Frank's son, you're not related to me."
I tilted my head. "Actually, that's the very definition of being related."
"Fuck you. Just because you're older than Mitch, doesn’t mean you have a right to this land."
The air in the room shifted. Went cold.
Cassidy's hand tightened around mine. "That's not why he's here."
"Isn't it?" Kayden's eyes locked on me. "Seems awfully convenient. Shows up just as Frank goes missing."
"I had no idea he was missing until Cassidy told me."
Kayden jabbed a finger at me, his eyes flaring. "Did you have something to do with it? With Frank disappear?—"
"Jesus Christ, Kayden, of course he didn't," Cassidy yelled.
"How the hell would you know? Huh? You've been getting all cozy with him. He's been twisting your thoughts."
"That's enough." I stood, dropping Cassidy's hand. I couldn't sit here and let them attack her, not after what she'd just been through. "You want to be pissed at someone? Be pissed at me. But don't you dare turn this on her."
"I'll say whatever I damn well please in my own house," Kayden shot back.
"Your house?" I growled. "Funny. I thought this was Koolaroo. Frank's property, which according to his will?—"
"Don't." Mitch's tone could carve stone. "Don't finish that sentence."
I saw the lethal warning in his eyes. The barely contained rage.
He was right. I was making this worse.
"Look," I said, forcing myself to speak calmly. "I don't want Koolaroo."
"Right." Kayden scoffed. "Because nobody wants a multi-million-dollar cattle station."
"I don't." I met his glare without flinching.
"I came here looking for answers about my father.
That's it. I had no idea Frank was missing.
I had no idea about the will. I didn't even know if he was actually my father until my mother told me. I still won’t know for sure until I do another DNA test."
"Convenient story," Kayden muttered.
"It's the truth."
"Is it? Or are you just another conman like Frank, coming here to?—"
"Kayden!" Cassidy jerked to her feet, and her face flushed with anger. "Stop it. Just stop."
"No, Cass. I'm not going to stop. This bastard shows up out of nowhere, gets you all twisted up, and now we find out he might be entitled to everything Frank owned?" He turned back to me. "You expect us to just take your word that you don't want it?"
"I don't care what you believe." My voice was steady, but my hands had curled into fists at my sides. "I'm telling you. I don't want your land. I don't want your inheritance. I have my own money."
"Oh, right. The big successful American businessman." Kayden's lip curled. "How much is enough for you rich bastards? You may have a million dollars, but why not grab a cattle station while you're at it?"
"Because it's not mine!" I growled out the words, wishing he’d believe me. "Because I'm not Frank. I'm nothing like Frank. Nor am I like Dominic Hawthorne. I sure as hell will not take property that belongs to someone else just because a legal document says I can."
"Prove it," Mitch said, his voice steady.
I met his gaze, but his expression was unreadable. "Pardon?"
"Prove you don't want it." He leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine. "Sign something. Right now. Tonight. Sign away any claim you might have to Frank's estate."
"I can't sign legal documents tonight. You'd need a solicitor, witnesses?—"
"But you would sign it? If we drew up the paperwork?"
"Yes. Absolutely." I didn't hesitate. "Tomorrow. First thing. Whatever you need me to sign, I'll sign it. But make it legal, with the right witnesses."
Mitch's expression shifted. Not quite trust, but maybe the beginning of it.
"Yeah! What about all that money you two found? Huh?" Kayden blurted. “You gonna give up all that, too?”
“Absolutely. Besides, it's drug money," I said.
“You don’t fucking know that.”
“I’m confident it was obtained illegally. Why else would it be in those walls?”
"Maybe," Mitch said. "Or maybe it was being hidden from someone.”
“We all agreed that Bob knew money had been in those walls. Plus, you’ve told me Bob was Frank’s only friend,” I said. “How long have they known each other?”
“Since they were kids,” Declan said.
"So whatever Frank was involved in, Bob knew about it, too." I glanced at Cassidy, then back at Mitch. "The cash in the walls. Frank’s disappearance. It's all connected."
"To what?" Kayden demanded.
"I don't know. That's what we need to figure out."
"We?" Kayden's eyebrows shot up. "There is no 'we’. You're not part of this family."
"Kayden—" Cassidy started.
"No, Cass. He's not. I don't care if he is Frank's son. I don't care if the DNA test comes back positive. He's not one of us."
The words hit me hard. Probably because part of me had been hoping that maybe I could be. I’d actually begun to believe that I could have siblings. A family. People who cared about me, and not about how I could help them.
I nodded. "You're right," I said quietly. "I'm not."
Cassidy's head whipped toward me, her eyes wide.
"But that doesn't change the fact that if Frank is my father, his mess is my mess, too." I looked at each of them in turn. "Like it or not, I'm connected to this now. And I'm not leaving until I know the truth."
"Even if the truth gets ugly?" Mitch asked.
"The truth is already ugly. Look at what's been revealed since we sat down.
Frank has hurt a lot of people." I met each of their gazes in turn.
"The moment my mother told me my father wasn't Dominic Hawthorne, I realized my entire life was built on lies.
" I paused. "I came here wanting the truth.
That hasn't changed." I glanced at Cassidy.
"Actually, a lot has changed. Meeting all of you has made my life so much better. "
The brothers stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
I thought about my life in New York. The apartment I barely lived in.
The company I'd built, which felt more like a prison than an accomplishment.
The endless cycle of deals, meetings, and empty achievements.
"No matter what happens, I'm never going back to the life I had in Manhattan. I hated every single day of it."
Mitch leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. He didn't look convinced, but he didn't look hostile anymore either.
"Even so, I don't want your inheritance,” I continued. “I don't want your land. I don't want to take anything from you."
"And Cassidy?" Mitch asked, his voice dangerously soft.
My heart stopped.
"What about her?" I kept my voice steady, as Cassidy’s gaze swept toward me.
"You know what I'm asking."
I did. And I knew exactly how this could go. One wrong word, and they'd throw me out. Or worse, they'd make Cassidy choose between them and me. I couldn’t put that on her. Not after she’d revealed her brutal truth. She’d be feeling fragile, and she didn’t need me to add to that.
"I care about Cassidy," I said, meeting Mitch's eyes. "A lot. More than I probably should, given the circumstances."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I have right now." I didn't look away. "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to pretend I don't feel what I feel, but I'm also not stupid enough to think any of this is simple."
Mitch's jaw tightened, but he nodded slowly like he'd expected that answer. Maybe he even respected it.
He pushed back from the table. "Then I guess we wait for the DNA results."
“I’ll get moving on that as soon as possible,” I said.
Mitch studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "All right."
"All right?" Kayden stared at him. "That's it? He just says some pretty words, and you're on his side?"
"I'm not on anyone's side," Mitch said. "But he's right about one thing. He already knows about that dirty cash. So he’s involved now."
"You all keep calling it dirty money. What if it's legitimate?” Kayden asked. “Did you even think about?—"
"Kayden." Declan's voice was gentle but firm. "Think about it. We've been struggling financially for years. If Dad was making that kind of money legitimately, Koolaroo would've benefited. We would've benefited. Where would he even get that much cash from?"
"And why cash?" I added. "If it were legitimate income, it would go through bank accounts. There'd be a paper trail."
"What are you, a banker?" Kayden rolled his eyes.
"I've dealt with transactions worth millions. It's never cash. Cash is hard to obtain in large amounts, even harder to store safely."
"Unless it's hidden behind walls," Cassidy added.
I nodded at her, then turned back to the brothers. "Please. Let me help. If Frank is my father, this affects me, too. And it seems like you could use all the help you can get figuring out what he’s into."
"We don't need your damn help," Kayden said, but his tone had lost some of its edge.
"Yes, we do." Mitch's voice was firm. "Frank's gone, Bob's furious, and that money didn't appear out of nowhere." He looked directly at me. "Maybe it's all connected. Maybe it's not. We're not going to figure it out by fighting among ourselves."
Kayden looked like he wanted to argue, but he clamped his mouth shut and looked away.
"Has anyone talked to Frank's lawyer?" I asked. "The one who drew up the will? Maybe he has some information about?—"
"He didn't use a solicitor," Declan said. "It's just one of those wills you can download off the internet."
"That's weird, don't you reckon?" Cassidy said. "I didn't even know Dad could use a computer."
"Good point." Mitch frowned. "Do you think someone helped him?"
They all looked at each other, silent confusion passing between them.
"His only friend was Bob," Cassidy said slowly. "It makes sense that he would help Frank."
"So what do we do now?" Declan added.
"We sit tight." Mitch pushed back from the table. "I have a feeling Bob will be back. He'll want to scour every inch of Koolaroo looking for that cash."
"Then we should move it." Kayden slapped his hand on the table.
"No. It's in the best place right now. Nobody goes to that ridge unless they come through here first." Mitch's jaw set. "And if Bob does come searching for it, we'll use it as leverage and demand answers."
"What about Xavier's claim to the land?" Kayden pressed. "You're just going to take his word that he'll sign it away?"
"For now." Mitch looked at me, and his gaze was hard. "But if this is some elaborate con to get your hands on Koolaroo, I will destroy you. Understood?"
"It's not. And like I said, I've been lied to my entire life. Honesty matters more to me than you'll ever understand."
Mitch's expression shifted, and I had the impression he understood exactly how it felt to be deceived by someone he had trusted. Probably Frank. He’d lied to all of them.
Mitch held my gaze for another beat, then stood. "Right. I need a beer."
Kayden stood, too, grabbing his hat from the sideboard. He looked at Cassidy, and his expression finally softened. "You okay, Cass?"
She nodded, but cracks formed in her composure.
"For what it's worth," Kayden said, "I'm glad you told us. About Frank. About what he ..." He trailed off, then shook his head. "Just ... I'm glad you told us."
Her eyes swam with fresh tears. "Thank you. That means the world to me. I should’ve told you years ago."
"Yeah, I agree." He gave her a sad smile. "But you told us now. That's what matters."
Declan moved around the table to pull her into a hug. "He's right. We're not mad at you, Cass. We never could be."
She buried her face in his shoulder, and her body shook with silent tears again.
I stood there feeling completely useless. I wanted to comfort her, to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay. But this wasn't my place. These were her brothers. Her family. The people who'd loved her all her life.
I was just the stranger who'd upended everything.
Mitch clapped me on the shoulder as he passed. Not friendly, exactly, but not hostile either. "We'll figure this out," he said. "All of it."
I nodded, grateful for even that small gesture.
Declan nodded at me, then walked away.
Kayden was the last to leave. He paused in the doorway, looking back at me. "Hurt her," he said quietly, his voice deadly serious, "and I don't care who your father is. I'll bury you in the Outback where no one will ever find you."
"I promise, I would never hurt Cassidy."
"You’d better not." He held my gaze for another long moment, then strode away after his brothers.
The silence settled around us like dust after a storm.
Cassidy wiped her eyes, her hands trembling. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Don't." I crossed to her, unable to stay away anymore. "Don't apologize. What you did was incredible."
She looked up at me, her face streaked with tears. "I've been so scared for so long, and I just…. they didn't—" Her voice broke. "They didn't hate me."
"Of course, they didn't. They could never hate you."
"You don't know that. You don't know what it's been like, carrying these stupid secrets around, terrified that if they found out they'd see me differently."
I pulled her into my arms, and she collapsed against me.
"Well," I murmured into her hair, "I guess I can't call you sis anymore."
She gave a sound that was half laugh, half sob, clinging to me like I was her savior.
Truth was, Cassidy had saved me. From the moment we’d met, she'd seen me as Xavier, and not as Dominic Hawthorne's heir or some potential threat.
Just Xavier. A man searching for answers.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I truly belonged somewhere.