Chapter 48: Chapter 48
A greedy gleam flashed in Carrie’s eyes as she smiled, her expression dripping with naked ambition.
"I know exactly what I need to do," she said confidently. "And one day, I’ll give Christian an heir. His child will inherit everything and rule the wolf council after him."
Sylvia’s lips curved with satisfaction; that was precisely what she wanted to hear.
"Good." She reached over, squeezing Carrie’s arm in approval. "Once you’re married to him, every door will open. You’ll have access to the wealth, the businesses, the political connections, and eventually, the pack itself."
Her eyes darkened. "Christian’s authority among the Alphas is unmatched. No one commands loyalty the way he does. If your child bears his bloodline, our family’s position becomes untouchable."
Carrie’s smile widened into something predatory and calculating. "Don’t worry, Aunt Sylvia."
She casually brushed a strand of red hair behind her shoulder. "I’ll take care of everything." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Christian won’t even realize what’s happening until it’s too late. And when the time comes, the entire empire will belong to us."
"That’s exactly the attitude I like to see," Sylvia nodded, straightening the lapels of her designer jacket. "Now focus on making yourself indispensable to him. We can’t afford any mistakes."
Carrie nodded, her mind already racing with schemes. A moment later, a smirk played on her lips. "By the way, did you notice how much that woman resembles Christian’s dead wife?" She examined her manicured nails, feigning nonchalance.
Sylvia fell silent. For several seconds, she stared down the hallway they had just vacated, as if she could pierce through the walls to see Fleur.
"You have no idea," Sylvia said, a rare trace of unease coloring her tone. "The resemblance is unsettling."
Carrie frowned. "Seriously?"
"No wonder Christian mistook her for Odette." The memory of Christian’s reaction returned vividly to Sylvia—the sheer shock, the immediate obsession, the total inability to look away. None of it had been normal.
"But how is that even possible?" Carrie pressed. "People can look similar, sure. But identical?"
"That’s exactly what’s bothering me," Sylvia replied, her features tightening. "Same eyes. Same complexion. Same voice and height. Even her scent carries a strangely familiar undertone."
Carrie blinked, a chill running down her spine. "That’s creepy."
"The only noticeable difference is their presence." Sylvia crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Odette was timid. Fragile. Always trying to make herself smaller."
A hint of contempt crept into her voice. "But Fleur Swann walks into a room and commands attention without even trying. She’s confident, elegant, and far more difficult to intimidate."
Carrie scowled. "Still annoying."
Ignoring her, Sylvia continued, "And physically, there are differences. Odette was painfully thin. Fleur..." Her gaze sharpened. "...has curves in all the right places."
Carrie rolled her eyes. "Are you complimenting her now?"
"No." Sylvia reached into her Chanel handbag and retrieved her phone. "I’m verifying something."
Carrie leaned in, suddenly captivated. Sylvia dialed a number, her expression hardening the moment the call connected.
"I need a complete background investigation on a woman. Everything. I want family records, birth certificates, education, travel history, medical history, photographs, and any unusual details you can find."
She locked eyes with Carrie, a silent understanding passing between them. Neither of them trusted coincidences—especially not one this extraordinary.
Ending the call, Sylvia slipped the phone away. "We’ll wait for the report. Then we’ll know whether she’s exactly who she claims to be."
Carrie shrugged, looking around the grand estate one final time. "Fine. Can we leave now?"
"Yes." Sylvia’s expression shifted instantly, a warm, practiced smile masking her sharp edges. "I need to get back and continue caring for my poor stepson."
Carrie snorted. "Why bother? If he wants to drink himself to death, let him."
Sylvia stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes turning to ice. "He cannot die." The sheer sharpness of her tone startled Carrie. "Not before marrying you."
Carrie rolled her eyes again, recovering her composure. "You act as if a common cold could kill him."
"It won’t." Sylvia’s jaw tightened. "Christian Wayne didn’t become the most feared Alpha in the country by being weak."
The bitterness in her voice was impossible to mask.
For years, Sylvia had secretly prayed that fate would remove him from the board, yet every challenge only seemed to temper him. Every enemy who came after him ended up dead, and every attempt to weaken him failed. Christian was infuriatingly difficult to destroy, and the thought alone made Sylvia’s blood boil.
Across the city, life couldn’t have been more different.
With Fleur still held up at work, Lea had taken over school pickup duty for Chloe and Gabriel. After dropping them home and ensuring they had eaten lunch, Lea rushed off to attend an important client meeting on Fleur’s behalf.
The twins waited patiently until the heavy thud of the front door signaled her departure. Turning to each other, they exchanged identical, knowing looks. Operation Secret Investigation was officially underway.
Gabriel grinned, and Chloe mirrored the expression. The nanny was occupied downstairs; the coast was clear.
Without making a sound, the twins slipped into Fleur’s home office and clicked the door shut behind them. Gabriel flicked on the lights and turned to his sister, his expression turning entirely serious. "Chloe. Start the system."
Chloe saluted dramatically. "Yes, boss."
Gabriel plugged his phone into the computer via a data cable. Instantly, several monitors whirred to life, lines of code scrolling down the screens.
Chloe’s eyes sparkled. "Let’s do some detective work."
Gabriel’s fingers danced across the keyboard with practiced ease. Within moments, dozens of encrypted files appeared, but one specific folder immediately caught their attention: CHRISTIAN WAYNE.
Chloe gasped. "That’s him!"
"Lower your voice," Gabriel hissed, shushing her quickly.
Chloe clamped both hands over her mouth, leaning closer to the monitor. The profile picture displayed a handsome man with piercing silver eyes and dark hair. She glanced at her brother, then back to the screen, comparing the two. The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
"Gabriel..."
"What?"
"You kind of look like him."
The boy frowned. "No, I don’t."
"You totally do."
"I absolutely don’t."
Chloe pointed dramatically at the screen. "The eyes."
Gabriel looked away.
"The jaw."
He rolled his eyes.
"The grumpy expression."
He groaned.
Chloe gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh my gosh. What if he’s our father?"
The room fell dead silent. Gabriel stared at the screen, then slowly shook his head, a rare tremor of uncertainty in his voice. "I don’t know. But he’s Mom’s client."
Chloe blinked. "How do you know that?"
Looking entirely too proud of himself, Gabriel smirked. "I hacked Mom’s client database."
Chloe sighed. "One day you’re going to get arrested."
"Worth it."
Chloe couldn’t even argue with that logic.
Gabriel continued typing. "I also accessed his public accounts."
"What did you find?"
"A lot."
Dozens of pages flooded the screen—news articles, business profiles, interviews, and photographs. Lots of photographs.
Chloe’s eyes widened. "So many women."
Models, actresses, socialites, and beauty queens—Christian seemed to be photographed with a different stunning companion every month.
Gabriel folded his arms, his expression darkening. "Exactly. That’s a red flag."
Chloe tilted her head. "A what?"
"A giant red flag." He pointed right at the screen. "Look at all these women. He clearly has commitment issues."
Chloe blinked at him. "You’re five. Why do you even know what commitment issues are?"
Gabriel ignored the question, steering back to his point. "He would make a terrible husband for Mom."
Chloe studied Christian’s picture. The man looked powerful, dangerous, and fiercely protective. "Maybe he’s not that bad," she murmured. "The face is very convincing."
Gabriel buried his face in his hands with a groan. Suddenly, another article caught his eye, and his attention sharpened. "Hmm. There are rumors."
"What kind of rumors?" Chloe leaned closer.
Gabriel skimmed the text quickly. "People think he’s secretly a mafia boss."
Chloe’s eyes sparkled. "That’s so cool!"
"It’s not cool. It’s dangerous."
"It’s cool and dangerous."
"There’s never been any proof," Gabriel noted, continuing to read. "Every investigation comes back clean."
Chloe’s grin widened. "Which means he’s smart."
Gabriel paused, then reluctantly nodded. "Very smart."
"Just like us," Chloe concluded proudly, folding her arms.
Gabriel smirked despite himself, but his amusement quickly faded as reality set in. "Remember what Mom told us."
The girl’s smile vanished. Their mother had always been firm about one thing: their father didn’t want them. No matter how many times or how many ways they asked, that answer never changed.
Gabriel systematically closed every window on the screen. "So it doesn’t matter."
Chloe looked down at her shoes. "What doesn’t matter?"
"Whether he’s our father or not." The words felt heavier than either child wanted to admit. Gabriel disconnected the phone from the cable. "Either way, he’s not part of our lives. Come on, we should leave before Mom catches us hacking again."
"Good point," Chloe agreed quietly.
They slipped out of the office, the door clicking shut behind them.
Yet as Chloe walked down the hallway, she couldn’t erase the image of the man in the photograph from her mind. She had only met him once, but he hadn’t seemed cruel. He hadn’t seemed like a monster at all. He had been polite, protective, and gentle.
For some reason, her heart simply refused to believe he was the villain everyone claimed he was.
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