Claimed by my husband's son

NADIA

“Yes.” The words left my mouth before I could hesitate. “I'll work with you. I'll do it.”

Killian’s lips curled into a slow smile, satisfaction blazing in his eyes. “You made the right choice,” he said, and I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine.

His sharp, calculating gaze had morphed into something else—something that made goosebumps appear on my skin and made me feel warm all at the same time.

“So,” I cleared my throat, “how do we start?”

“Start?” he asked.

“Yes. How do we go about destroying Elias?” The word sounded so foreign on my tongue. I went from aching for his attention and affection to wanting to ruin him in three seconds.

Killian chuckled, waving a finger in the air. “We’re not destroying him, Nady.”

There it was again—that silly nickname that did things to me. Then his words hit me. “We’re not?” I arched an eyebrow.

He shook his head with a lazy smile. “No. We’re dismantling him. Slowly and painfully. And by the time he finally realizes what’s going on, there’ll be nothing left to save. Besides,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “it’s more fun.”

The wicked gleam in his eyes should have scared me. Instead, it pulled me closer, making me tilt my head at him.

“You really hate your old man, don’t you?” I asked softly, and those sharp, rageful eyes darted to me.

“I’m hoping you feel the same way too,” he answered, shooting to his feet. “Come on.” He gestured with his finger and walked out of my bedroom door.

Do I? I doubted it. No matter what Elias had done to me, my hatred and anger couldn’t come close to that of Killian.

A sliver of fear shot through me. Would I be able to escape this arrangement unscathed?

I swung my legs off the bed and hurried toward the door, walking twice as fast just to catch up with him.

Killian stood at the base of the stairs waiting for me as I approached. Just when I got to him, his hand shot out. I stared at it cautiously, as if waiting for a venomous snake to jump out and strike me.

Not that he wasn’t capable of doing that.

My hand shook slightly as I placed it in his. His grip tightened around it, but not hard enough to hurt.

He pulled me along until we reached Elias private study. He held the doorknob and pushed the door open before letting me inside.

My gaze roamed the sturdy study, noting the shelves lining the walls, filled with books—all non-fiction—neatly arranged.

The walls and tables shared the same deep brown colour. A black revolving chair sat in front of the desk, facing the door.

“What are we doing here?” I asked as Killian walked up to the table.

“I want to show you something. And this room, as ironic as it sounds, is the best place for us to have this discussion.”

My brows furrowed. “Here?”

He turned to face me with a narrowed gaze. “You’ve never been here, have you?”

I shook my head. “It’s off-limits to me. It was one of his rules when we first got married, and I’ve obeyed it every single day for the past ten years—until now.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” Before I could ask what he meant, Killian continued, “The walls of this room are padded. In other words, it’s soundproof.”

He tapped on his phone screen and handed it to me. It was a news article with no date or signature.

FORMER EMPLOYEE FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES OVER WORKPLACE MISCONDUCT COVER-UP

My brows drew together. “What is this?”

“An unpublished news article that’s scheduled to be released in… the next six hours.”

“I don’t understand.”

“A senior executive was accused of harassment by multiple employees—both male and female.” He tucked one hand into his pocket while the other gestured animatedly in the air.

“Suddenly, complaints stopped, and settlements were made to cover up the issue. The man was never fired. Instead, he had more ground to continue his reckless behavior. But this time, no one complained—they didn’t dare to.”

A part of me already knew the answer before I asked. “Did he know?”

“Not only that. He approved the settlements.”

I stared at the news article again. “Why now? If they were too scared to go against the company five years ago, why are they doing it now?”

“Simple. Because they finally found legal backing strong enough to help them with the case—someone who’s willing to do anything to give them justice.”

I blinked. “You?”

He responded with a shrug.

“But this isn’t enough to destroy him or his company. These people agreed to settlements. Their case isn’t that strong.”

“True,” he nodded, “but this is just the first step. Once he’s slammed with this, trust begins to dwindle, customer ratings start flickering. Before he even gets a chance to win this case, he’ll be hit immediately with another.”

He reached out and swiped the screen. Two news headlines popped up—both unpublished, but perfectly crafted to add damage to the already rising scandal.

ELIAS HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES FACES INTERNAL INVESTIGATION OVER MISAPPROPRIATED FUNDS

SCANDAL ROCKS HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES: CEO ACCUSED OF FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT; SHARES PLUMMET OVERNIGHT

This is bad.

“You have it all thought out.”

He nodded. “All that’s left is execution.”

“Looks like you have everything under control. What do you need me for, then?”

“A lot of things. This house is a hive of secrets. I’m sure if you dig enough, you can find more damning evidence against him. Keep up the appearance of the loving, abandoned wife so when it all comes down to it, you have the sympathy of the masses to do with as you please.”

“How long will this take?”

“Weeks… months maybe, depending on how quickly we can gather evidence against him.”

Wow, that long?

“And my compensation?”

He moved closer—too close for comfort—and the air around us suddenly became charged.

“Regarding that, there are complications.”

He hadn’t mentioned anything about complications when he tried to make me work with him. Fucking manipulator.

“What complications?”

“The prenup.”

My stomach dropped.

“If you sign the papers now, he walks away protected, leaving you high and dry.”

“Then I won’t sign.”

“You’d have to eventually.”

“And yet you promised me huge compensation after this. How on earth do I get it if the prenup already defeats that purpose?”

Something in his eyes flashed, and I instantly knew I wouldn’t like what came next.

“There is one way around it. Marriage changes asset alignments. It complicates legal separation, especially during corporate instability.”

Understanding crept in slowly. My eyes darted between his. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“You want me to marry you? Can you hear how you sound?” I scowled, taking quick steps back.

“It’s the only way.” His nonchalant answer fueled my anger.

“I won’t do it!” I spun on my heel, storming toward the door.

“Then you leave with nothing. Ten years married to that scum, and you’ll have nothing to show for it.”

I paused, gazing into thin air, my entire body trembling.

Killian appeared in my line of vision, his finger tilting my head up until I met his gaze.

“The ball is in your court, Nadia.” His eyes flashed for a second with an undefined emotion.

“Marry me, Nadia. And screw my father for everything he’s worth.”