Stealing Her (Covet 1)

A thousand more times.

To have her.

It was a slow-motion effect, the way he twirled her around the room, his expression hardened.

My dad came up behind me and clapped me on the back. “Bad publicity is still good publicity, am I right?”

Slowly I turned. “Excuse me?”

“Woke up a few days ago, heard us all talking in the room, and wanted some time to gather his thoughts, and then he wanted his revenge. And I saw something change in Julian, something you put there. Something he was always missing. I don’t care that hate fuels him, just like I don’t care that you married Izzy when she was meant for Julian. All I care about right now is that the number one thing trending on Twitter is my company and the fact that I have twin sons.”

A sinister smile crossed his face when he handed me a newspaper. “Tomorrow’s news. Thought you may want to get ahead of it.”

Twin brothers reunited in twisted love triangle, Tennyson Financial stocks soar.

My stomach dropped as I reared back and punched my dad in the face and dropped the paper on the ground. “Maybe the next day they’ll include a picture of your black eye.”

I stomped into the middle of the dance floor, interrupting Julian and Izzy, not that they were talking. He was glaring. She was sobbing.

“We need to talk. Now,” I snapped.

Julian gave me a cool stare. “And miss your reception?”

“Cut the bullshit, Julian. Dad set us up.”

“I know.” His voice was low. “For twelve years I’ve been waiting for that man’s approval.” His eyes raged with fury. “Twelve. Years.”

“Julian, not here.”

He reared back and punched me in the face.

And I let him.

Because I deserved it.

I didn’t fall like our father had, but we were giving the press a fantastic show and proving everything in that newspaper to be true.

Dad was standing again, adjusting his tie, while Izzy was holding on to me for dear life.

“For Izzy,” I rasped. “We do this in privacy. For Izzy.”

Julian’s gaze softened a little while his jaw flexed like he’d been clenching his teeth too hard. “Fine.”

“Are you okay?” Izzy asked. Her makeup was a mess, her face swollen and tear-streaked.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not.”

We walked hand in hand out of our own reception with Julian stomping ahead of us and my dad smiling from his spot on the floor like it was the best outcome in the world.

Both his sons.

At odds with him, with each other, over a woman.

And over a life stolen.

When we reached one of the empty rooms, Julian turned to face us.

And I finally saw it.

He was livid.

But more than that.

My brother was fucking heartbroken.

Chapter Forty-Five

ISOBEL

I was wrecked.

A huge part of me wanted to run into Bridge’s arms and ask him to make it all go away. The other part of me was sick to my stomach over the fact that this was how Julian had found out.

By showing up at what should have been our wedding, his and mine.

I went into it with my eyes wide open.

So did Bridge.

Julian, however, had had his eyes shut throughout the entire thing. He hadn’t seen how we fell in love, he hadn’t seen the struggle on both sides, and he hadn’t heard the conversations between me and Bridge, the worry over what would happen.

And now he was there staring at me like I’d ruined his world.

And me, staring right back at him with guilt in my eyes because I couldn’t say otherwise.

“I heard your voice, Iz.” He stared me down, like he didn’t know me anymore, like I was a stranger to him. “The day you and Bridge came into the hospital discussing—” His voice cracked. “Maybe it was the betrayal that woke me up, for that I guess I can thank you both.”

Bridge sighed. “You woke up three days ago?”

“I saw you holding her hand,” Julian admitted. “I saw your kiss. I saw you take what was mine, and Dad—” His nostrils flared. “He came back because he forgot his damn sunglasses in the room, and there I was, wide-eyed, ready to tear the world apart.”

“Dad knew?” Bridge muttered a curse. “Why didn’t you say something to us? Why let him do this?”

“Let him?” Julian exploded. I’d never seen him this angry. I’d never seen him be anything but in complete control. “I don’t know, Bridge, how could you take over my life? Huh? Wear my clothes? Spend my money? Take my job!”

“I did it for you.” Bridge glared at him. “And for Mom. She’s dying.”

“Yeah, I know,” Julian spat. “Why else would I send money? Why else would I put a separate account together for you guys? Do you really think that all this time I’ve just been blind?”

“You never visited. You never contacted us.” Bridge crossed his arms. “What the hell was I supposed to think?”