Mark's sudden resignation only added fire to the flame that was Lincoln Ambrose. The old man took pleasure in ruining lives, especially the lives of those who had wronged him. Now, Mark and Debbie were at the top of that list. He enjoyed watching Debbie squirm, struggling to get out of her restraints as the coarse rope dug into the sides of her arms.
She looked up at Lincoln, her dark, cold eyes flashing at him. She studied the envelope in his hand. "What's that?"
Lincoln pursed his lips as he thumbed through the manilla envelope. "This? Oh, this is going to change everything. However, it's none of your concern."
Debbie rolled her eyes. "If it's none of our business, why even show us in the first place?"
Mark squinted. He didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean by changing everything?"
Hastily, Lincoln threw the folder to the other side of the room. "The two of you won't live long enough to find out."
Still jerking her shoulders, Debbie thrashed from side to side in the chair. "You slimy little scum slug! You're never going to get away with this!"
After a pause, Lincoln chuckled cynically. "Scum slug? That's quite creative, Ms. Clifton. Can't say I've heard that before. Unfortunately, you're wrong. I've already gotten away with it."
Debbie's voice rose. "Gotten away with what?"
Lincoln smoothed out his velvet suit jacket. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Send him in."
The door opened, and when Debbie caught a glimpse of who walked through it, she was stunned. "Justin?"
Debbie had met Alex's brother only a handful of times, but she could never forget him. His eyes gleamed with a sinister look. A threatening air surrounded him.
Dressed in an all-black suit, he looked like a younger, more brooding version of Alex.
"Well, well, well," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Look who we have here. Debbie Clifton and the traitor. Sorry, brother, I don't even know your name."
Mark lurched forward. "I'm Ma–"
Justin cut him off by raising a single, brawny hand. "I don't care who you are. You're more worthless than the ant I squished under my shoe when I walked into the building."
He strolled toward Debbie with a cool confidence. He used a single finger to lift her chin so that her gaze met his. "Ms. Clifton, on the other hand, is a very valuable asset." His eyes scanned her body. "And I mean that in more ways than one."
Debbie whipped her head to the side, averting her eyes from Justin. "Get away from me, sicko."
Justin pouted his lips. "Aw, Debbie. It's been so long since we've last seen each other, and you can't even greet me with a hello?"
Debbie pressed her lips together, refusing to speak to the man. Her silence only emboldened Justin. "Such a shame, you're all wrapped up in this mess because of my brother. I wish we could have seen each other under different circumstances."
Debbie scoffed. "It's not Alex's fault that I'm here. Leave him out of this."
The young man frowned. "Oh, precious Debbie. Even when she breaks my brother's heart, she's still so loyal."
Debbie indignantly shook her head. "I didn't break his heart. He broke mine."
Justin chuckled. "So I've heard, and now you're running off on your own. Isn't that right?"
Debbie remained silent, but Justin held her captive with his gaze.
He turned around and slowly stepped away from her. "Tell me, how does it feel to be so lost without Alex?"
Debbie huffed. "I'm not lost."
Justin chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetie." He looked over his shoulder. "I'll give you a choice, Debbie. You can get out of this." He faced the woman. His biceps curled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Leave Alex. Come with me. He never treated you properly anyway. I'll make your life so much better. I can give you everything you ever wanted and more."
Justin held a certain allure for the opposite sex. Most women would have fallen at his feet, but Debbie wasn't like most women. "I would never go with you, Justin."
The young man gestured toward his body with a cocky look in his eyes. "Why not? What's wrong with me?"
Debbie scoffed. "Where do I even begin? You're arrogant, bombastic, and a show boat. There's nothing about you that appeals to me."
Justin stepped closer to the woman, subtly flexing his arm muscles. "Oh, really? There's nothing about me that's appealing?"
Debbie confidently nodded. "Nothing at all."
Justin wasn't so easily deterred. Just like his brother, when he saw something he wanted, he went after it. "Debbie, honey, I will put this as plainly as I can. Alex is about to lose everything. I'm going to inherit this family business if it's the last thing I do. Alex's empire will fall, but yours can survive. Just switch sides, princess. I already have all of his money. It'll be a matter of time before everything else falls into place."
When she heard Justin had Alex's money, Debbie's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
Justin smirked. His plan was working. "You heard me. I already have Alex's money. All of it. We robbed him, bled him dry. It's only a matter of time before he's nothing. Come with me, and you'll have the whole world at your feet."
Warily, Debbie fixed her gaze on the sophisticated man. She concentrated, growing quiet for a moment. Eventually, she choked out, "Fine."
Justin lowered his brow. He looked hungry and ravenous as if he were a wolf who just caught its fat, juicy prey. He was ready to feast. "Now that's more like it, beautiful."
He stalked toward Debbie. When he reached her, he lowered his head so that he could whisper in her ear. "You made the right choice. I've been waiting to get my hands on you for a long while, Debbie Clifton."
Mustering up all of her strength, Debbie headbutted Justin. It was the only part of her body she could freely move. Her head knocked into him so hard that she worried she could have given herself a concussion.
Justin stumbled back, but not far. He was much stronger than Debbie. Her wimpy headbutt wouldn't even leave a bruise. He smirked at her. "Oh, you little bitch."
Tears streamed down Debbie's cheeks. She couldn't help it. This was the worst-case scenario. She had lost everything. "You can't speak to me like that."
As a smug laugh burst through his lips, Justin smacked Debbie across the face. "I say whatever I want to you. No wonder Alex chose Kylie Naysmith over you. With that mouth, you're nothing but trouble."
From the back of the office, Lincoln watched his grandson with pride. Now, this is the kind of man Alex will never be, he thought. Justin's in control. He commands the room. He's the only one who could continue my legacy. Of course, I've always known that.
Lincoln cleared his throat. He couldn't resist getting in on the fun. "Deborah, you're going to wish Riley's super soldiers killed you when they had the chance."
***
Alex was none the wiser. He had no idea the woman he loved the most was in danger. He had no clue that his brother had stolen all of his money. And, most importantly, he did not know that a nuke of a secret was about to blow up his entire life.
No, he cooked in the kitchen with his mother, blissfully ignorant.
Flora searched through his cabinets as if she were a woman on a mission. "Do you have kosher salt? I only see sea salt."
Alex ran his hand along his brow. "No. I only have sea salt."
With a sigh, Flora grabbed the only salt her son had and set it on the counter. "We're going to die of iodine toxicity."
Alex shook his head. "I guarantee you, we will live." He grabbed the salt off of the counter and sprinkled it onto the fish his dad had caught earlier.
Although he loved his mother, he was having trouble seeing anything but her faults. After she told him her doubts about Justin's parentage, he felt deceived. How could she keep such a massive secret from him?
She put her hand on Alex's back. "Penny for your thoughts?"
You're a liar and a terrible person, Alex thought but didn't say out loud. Instead, he sighed. "You don't want to know my thoughts, Mom."
Inferring what Alex meant, Flora rolled her eyes. "Are you still upset about the Justin thing? Alex, it was something stupid that I said. Just forget about it. It doesn't change anything."
Alex disagreed, but he didn't feel like fighting. It changes everything, he thought.
He sighed. "Mom, you and I both know that isn't the truth, but let's not talk about it."
Flora rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one who brought it up."
Alex gritted his teeth. "If you didn't want to talk about it, you should have kept the ordeal a secret."
A female voice called out from across the room. "Oh, who's keeping secrets? I want to know?"
Without warning, Christopher and Yvonne entered the kitchen.
Flora turned around and warmly smiled at the couple. "The only secret here is that we are cooking up a delicious dinner."
Alex leaned over and whispered in his mother's ear. "Good save."
"What's going on, guys?" Christopher asked, but neither Flora nor Alex answered. He glanced around the room. Dinner looked just about ready. "Do you need any help?"
Flora beamed at her son's friend. "Oh, yes. You're such a gentleman, Christopher. Why don't you two go set the table? Alex and I are finishing up in here." She turned around, pulling out a salad from the fridge. "I'm so glad we invited that Ken Stokes for dinner. Someone needs to tell him this home is a disaster. I'm ready to give him a piece of my mind."
Yvonne took the salad from Flora's hands. "I'm sure you are, Mrs. Ambrose."
Christopher grabbed plates out of the cupboard. Then, he followed Yvonne into the dining room.
Yvonne set the salad down in the middle of the table. Then, she grabbed plates from Christopher. "I can't remember the last time I sat down at the table for dinner."
As he carefully placed a salad plate on the table, he smirked. "Yeah, me neither."
Yvonne took a step back. She almost forgot that Christopher had lost all of his memories. "Yeah, I guess you haven't. Have you?" She crinkled her nose as she looked at the table. "I am going to grab silverware."
After Yvonne left the dining room, Christopher heard the front door open.
Within seconds, Ken Stokes and Louis wandered into the dining room.
"It's time for dinner!" Louis shouted as he ran in.