Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

This time, I snatched the phone

"What the fu- I was halfway to unleashing the venom when I caught the name on

the screen.

Alfred.

I exhaled and answered the phone.

"Alfred."

There was a pause on the line. Then the voice came through, oily and very cautious.

Alpha. Good morning."noveldrama

I leaned back in the chair, phone pressed to my ear, rubbing my temple again. "Yes?"

Alfred cleared his throat. "I have... updates."

I straightened slowly. Lance was still standing there, and I waved him off without looking. "We'll talk later."

He hesitated, then nodded and stepped out.

"Go on," I said into the phone.

Alfred paused again as though swallowing a lump the size of his conscience. Or maybe it was just fear. I hoped it was fear.

"It's done,” he finally said. "Just like you planned."

I tilted my head, a faint curl at the edge of my mouth-somewhere between a smirk and a snarl. “You gave him the bait?"

"Yes, Alpha. I told Alpha Kex that the company's internal accounts were bleeding and that your liquidity had dried up. He took the

hook. Hard."

A beat passed. The satisfaction settled into my bones like whiskey. Slow, warm, and dangerous.

"How hard?" I asked.

"Very," Alfred breathed out. "He put in a massive short last night-millions. His traders believe your firm will be bankrupt in under two quarters. He's expecting the announcement by the end of the week. He even told his investors you're on the verge of collapsing. They're backing him."

My lips parted slightly, then pressed together as I leaned forward, elbows on the desk. "And the acquisition?"

Alfred chuckled nervously. "He's making a bid for Elvric Systems today. Full-on takeover. He's confident you're too broke to match

it."

-one man

I could've laughed, but I didn't. I only stared at the far end of my office where the glass pane reflected my silhouette-c sitting in a high clan quietly waiting for the flames to catch where he'd already poured the gasoline.

Kex was going to burn himself trying to steal from a house he thought was collapsing.

Good.

I let the silence linger a little longer before I spoke again. "You're sure no one else knows?"

"Only me and his head of finance, and she's too afraid of him to question the financial decisions he's making. And I've already deleted the trail linking it back to us."

I nodded to myself. "You did well."

Alfred didn't reply immediately, like he wasn't sure if that was praise or the calm before his execution.

"I need this to stay between us," I added, "You breathe a word of this, even in your sleep, and I'll know."

"Yes, Alpha."

"I don't care if the walls around you start whispering-keep your fucking mouth shut."

"Yes, Alpha."

I paused for a second before speaking again. "The Elvric team can proceed now."

"Yes, Alpha. They're ready to move forward."

I nodded slowly, a smirk pulling at the corner of my mouth. "Make sure they do a

perfect job. No traces. Kex won't know what hit him.

I let another small pause breathed into the line, then added, "And Alfred?"

"...Yes?"

"You're not doing this for me."

He hesitated.

"You're doing it because when you betrayed me the first time, I spared your life. This is your atonement. You don't get to feel clever for doing what I told you to."

"...Understood."

I hung up.

No need for goodbyes. Goodbyes were for people who'd earned them

I tossed the phone down on the table and dragged my hand over my face. The

rush was brief-like biting into something sweet and sour at the same time. There was pleasure in it, but it left my mouth dry.

Kex would bleed.

Whenever he sees me, he would see the devil he once underestimated.

The phone buzzed again.

hune.

I picked it up and typed three words. "Wear anything black. I hit send.

Because grief looked good in black.

And I was about to start a funeral.