CHAPTER 112: THE LIES COULD WAIT

~AXEL~

Before I could respond, my phone rang. Layla’s name flashed on the screen.

"Hey," I answered, keeping my voice casual.

"Where are you?" She sounded worried. "I woke up from my nap, and you weren’t here. I thought you were just downstairs, but..."

"I had to run a quick errand. Nothing important." The lie tasted bitter. "I’m on my way back now. Should be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay. I was just worried after everything that happened today."

"I know. I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note." I softened my tone. "How about we do dinner out tonight? Get out of the house, and clear our heads."

"That sounds good, actually. I could use a distraction."

"Perfect. I’ll be home soon, and we’ll go somewhere nice. My treat."

"Everything’s always your treat," she said with a slight laugh.

"That’s what husbands are for."

After we hung up, Tye looked at me with an amused expression. "Smooth. But you’re walking a tightrope, Axe. One wrong step and it all comes crashing down."

"I know." I sighed, running my finger through my hair. "But I need to time this right."

"Speaking of timing," Tye said, leaning against his SUV. "How far along are you in the grand plan? Where are we at?"

"Phase two," I replied.

"Phase two? Remind me what that entails again."

"Taking over the business empire. Systematically dismantling his power base, acquiring his key assets, destroying his influence." I paused. "I’ve already secured majority shares in three of his subsidiary companies using an alternate personality. Let’s say in a few months from now..."

Tye whistled low. "And that’s when you ruin him financially."

"Exactly. Strip him of everything he built on the backs of people like my father. Make him feel what it’s like to lose everything."

"Does he know who you really are?" Tye asked, his expression serious. "Does he know you’re Robert O’Brien Hammond’s son?"

"He only knows me as Axel O’Brien, a successful business owner who married his daughter." I smiled. "That’s the beauty of it. I changed my identity years ago, built a new life, a new empire. He has no idea that the man systematically destroying him is the same little boy he threw out into the snow that night."

"And when does he find out?"

"Phase three. After I’ve taken everything from him, after he’s on his knees financially and legally, that’s when I reveal who I really am. That’s when I want to see his face as he realizes that Robert O’Brien’s son was the architect of his downfall."

Tye nodded slowly. "Poetic. Cruel, but poetic."

"He deserves worse for what he did. For killing my parents, for framing my father, for living comfortably while they died running from his crimes."

"And what about Layla? Where does she fit into phase three?"

I was quiet for a moment. "That’s... complicated."

"No shit, it’s complicated. You married her as part of phases two and three. But now you’re in love with her..."

"I’m not..."

"Don’t even try to deny it. You are, and she’s going to find out that you’ve been lying to her about who you really are this entire time."

"I haven’t been lying..."

"Axe, come on. Lying by omission is still lying. She doesn’t know your real identity. She doesn’t know that you kidnapped and interrogated Erica. She doesn’t know that you’ve been planning to destroy her father for twenty years using her." He crossed his arms. "That’s a lot of secrets for a marriage to survive."

"She’s not even his daughter."

"That, you just found out."

"Once we have the evidence from Erica’s laptop, once we’ve built an airtight case against Cassandra and put her away for good, then I’ll tell her everything."

"And if she finds out before then?"

"Then I deal with it. But right now, the priority is taking down Cassandra. Then, we can focus on Charles. Everything else can wait."

"Famous last words," Tye muttered. "Secrets have a way of biting back, brother. Especially in a marriage. Even one that started as a revenge plot."

"It’s not just a revenge plot anymore," I said quietly.

"I know. That’s what makes this whole thing so dangerous. You’ve caught real feelings for her, and when she finds out the truth..." He shook his head. "Just be prepared for the fallout, man. She might not forgive you."

"Once she understands why I did it, once she sees..."

"You mean once she realises you’ve been using her? Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be totally cool with that." Tye’s sarcasm was thick.

I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say because deep down, I knew he was right. The truth would devastate Layla, and I had no idea how to minimise that damage.

"Look," Tye said, his tone softening slightly. "I’m not judging you. You know I support your revenge. Charles Watson deserves everything that’s coming to him. I’m just saying be careful. Don’t lose sight of what actually matters."

"And what’s that?"

"You tell me. Is it revenge, or is it the woman waiting for you at home?"

Before I could answer, his phone buzzed. He checked it and nodded. "They’ve finished scouring the laptop."

"Good. Have them set to my secure mail. I want to review everything tonight after dinner."

"You got it." He opened his car door. "Go home to your wife, Axe. Pretend to be normal for a few hours. God knows you both need it."

We got into our respective vehicles. As I drove home through the city streets, my mind raced with everything Tye had said. He was right about the secrets and right about the danger of what I was doing. But I was too far in now to turn back.

The plan had always been clear: infiltrate, destroy, reveal. Three phases to bring down Charles Watson and avenge my parents. But somewhere along the way, Layla had stopped being just a means to an end. She’d become everything.

And that terrified me more than any of Charles’s threats ever could.

By tomorrow, we’ll have the evidence from Erica’s laptop. By next week, we’d have enough to destroy Cassandra’s defence completely. And within a few months, Charles Watson would be bankrupt, imprisoned, and utterly destroyed.

But at what cost?

I pushed the thought aside as I pulled into our driveway. For now, I had a dinner date with my wife, and I was going to pretend, just for tonight, that we were a normal couple dealing with normal problems.

The lies could wait until tomorrow.

I entered through the front door, setting my keys on the table in the foyer. The house was quiet, and as I climbed the stairs, loosening my tie as I went, I could hear water running. Layla was probably in the shower.

When I reached her bedroom door, I knocked softly.

"Just a second!" her voice called out.

A moment later, the door opened. Layla stood there in all her allure. Her hair, still damp and tousled, framed a face flushed from the steaming shower.

The towel she had around her did little to conceal the seductive curves of her body, droplets of water clinging to her shoulders like glistening pearls.

"Hey," she said with a soft smile. "You’re back."