CHAPTER 402: PLAN

But then, as always, fate stepped in.

The morning Aria resumed work, Andrew Roman showed up.

I’d heard about him, Kael’s younger half brother, the white sheep, the one who’d been rumored to inherit the family empire after Kael left for the military. I’d seen photos. Read files. But meeting him in person?

He was exactly like me.

I could tell immediately.

The way he moved. The calculating gleam in his eyes. The smile that didn’t reach anywhere real.

If he had a goal, which I was sure he did, it would involve destroying Kael or getting rid of him.

As he walked out of Aria’s office, he spotted me. Stopped. Studied me for a moment with unsettling intensity.

Then he extended his hand.

My blood froze in my body.

"Sarah Brown, right?" His voice was smooth, practiced. "My brother’s girlfriend’s best friend."

I took his hand cautiously. "That’s... specific. And we’re not—Aria and Kael aren’t officially—"

He pulled me closer suddenly, bending to reach my height, his breath warm against my ear. "I’m rooting for you."

I froze again. "What?"

But he’d already straightened, slipping something into my palm, a business card, and walking past me like the conversation never happened. "Text me."

I stood there, heart pounding, staring at the card.

Andrew Roman. Private number.

I was lost for a moment. Confused. But then it clicked.

Andrew knew about me. About what I’d been doing. He’d been watching me.

Which meant he saw value in my chaos.

Which meant we wanted the same thing.

Kael gone.

Which meant I was fucking right.

At first, I was scared. What did Andrew want from me? What was his angle? But ultimately, I decided it might work in my favor.

There was clearly competition between him and Kael, old wounds, family politics, power struggles.

And I could use that.

But thing got even better that day. After I’d reminded Aria of how she was discarding me as her friend guilt had struck where I wanted it to. And Aria had told me about the baby she’d lost.

I watched her cry, explaining how it happened, how she’d kept it secret even from Kael, how the grief still lived inside her like a second heartbeat.

I held her. Made sympathetic noises.

But inside? I was happy. Aria didn’t need to hold Kael’s baby. Even if the baby had survived and I found out. I’d have killed the baby myself.

But I wasn’t just happy now, I was also calculating.

Kael didn’t know. Which meant this was leverage. A secret I could weaponize.

But first, I needed to meet with Andrew.

We met at a ridiculously expensive restaurant, the kind with tasting menus and wine pairings and waiters who whispered.

Andrew had chosen it deliberately, I think. A show of power. Of wealth.

We’d barely exchanged a few words in the place when Kael and Aria walked in.

And then I understood why he chose the place.

To get on his big brother’s nerves.

I watched their faces, Aria’s confusion, Kael’s immediate rage when he spotted Andrew, the tension crackling between the brothers like live wire.

Before I could even witness what would happen, Aria’s hands were already wrapped tightly around my wrist. She pulled me away from the chaos waiting to happen.

Aria warned me about Andrew.

And I made my own lie about wanting to find love.

But our conversation was cut short by the brothers. By the time we stepped out, Andrew was laying on a heap of broken glass, teeth colored with blood, smiling like he had won something.

Aria and Kael left immediately.

And I did what I thought was the perfect timing to do.

I texted Kael about the baby. While Andrew patches himself up.

But then, fucking hell, they made up. Again.

And worse? Aria figured out I’d told Kael about the baby. She was furious. Wouldn’t talk to me. Wouldn’t even look at me.

I tried everything, apologies, explanations, tears. But she wouldn’t give me a chance.

So I had to watch from a distance as Kael and Aria became a proper couple. Openly affectionate. The rumours at work spread like wildfire.

And it set me off the edge.

At first, I thought it was just stress. The nausea. The exhaustion. Anger manifesting physically.

But when it wouldn’t stop, I took a test.

Positive.

I stared at those two lines for twenty minutes, feeling my world tilt sideways.

A baby. The last thing I wanted. I’d always made sure to prevent that. But somehow it still happened.

But then... whose baby was I carrying?

I’d slept with Kael during that window. But I’d also been seeing a senior executive at XE, he’d been useful for covering my absences, giving me access.

And Eric. God, I’d kept that desperate fool around specifically for stress relief, for angry, meaningless sex when I needed to feel something other than obsession.

Three potential fathers.

I started to panic.

Andrew’s text came two days later: We need to talk. Tonight.

We met at his penthouse. Sterile. Modern. Cold.

He poured us both drinks, whiskey, neat, and got straight to the point.

I knew alcohol was the last thing to take. But I didn’t care.

"You want Aria. I want the company. Kael’s in both our ways." Andrew began.

I nodded slowly. "So what do you suggest?"

"Tell me everything you’ve tried."

So I did. Every manipulation. Every failure. The assault. The blackmail. Kael’s stubborn refusal to break. The pregnancy.

When I finished, Andrew was quiet for a long moment. Then:

"Does it matter who the father is?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

He was right.

Andrew leaned forward. "Pin it on Kael. That’s your best card. It’ll break them up. Wound his reputation. Damage XE’s image. Force our father’s hand. He’ll be cornered from every angle."

The idea crystallized in my mind, perfect and terrible.

"When?" I asked.

Andrew smiled. "Isn’t it obvious? The end of the year party." He said. "Maximum visibility. Maximum damage."

And I took his advice.

So now I here I was, watching the Chaos I’d planted unfold.

I hated this method. But I had no choice.