Her Perfect Lie: The Empire Heiress

Chapter 113 – A Friend or Foe?

James Barnett paced the polished floors of his penthouse, the city lights reflecting off the floor-to-ceiling windows. His thoughts raced faster than his heartbeat. Dominic Reyes was no longer just a mysterious stranger from his past-he was systematically dismantling James' life, and someone close might be feeding him the keys.

His gaze fell on Marcus Hollander, his longtime business advisor. Marcus had been with him through acquisitions, boardroom victories, and personal crises. Yet now, every word Marcus spoke, every gesture, seemed suspect.

James finally confronted him in the dimly lit study.

"Marcus... I need the truth," James said, voice steady but edged with ice. "Have you been helping Dominic Reyes?"

Marcus froze, the confident mask slipping. His eyes darted away, then back, calculating. Silence stretched, thick and suffocating.

Marcus finally spoke, his voice low.

"James... I didn't want it to come to this. I never wanted to betray you... but Dominic... he knows things. Things about your past you don't remember."

James' pulse quickened. Could Marcus have been manipulated? Or was this a long game, part of a twin's decades-long scheme?

"You've been feeding him information," James accused. "Every meeting, every corporate strategy... How long has this been going on?"

Marcus swallowed hard. "Not everything, James... only enough to survive. Dominic threatened my family."

James felt a chill. The conspiracy wasn't just about him and Dominic-it had dragged innocent lives into its shadow. Every ally could be a pawn. Every friend a potential threat.

Before James could respond, a soft chime echoed through the room-his secure phone vibrating with an alert. He picked it up. The screen displayed a single message:

"Stop digging, or your friend becomes your enemy permanently."

James' stomach sank. Dominic Reyes wasn't just fighting him-he was orchestrating a war in which friends could be turned into assassins, confidants could be complicit, and every step forward carried lethal risk.

Marcus stepped closer, voice trembling: "James... you need to be careful. He's watching everything."

James clenched his fists. The lines between friend and foe were blurred. He realized one chilling truth: the ally in front of him could either be his salvation or his downfall.

And somewhere, Dominic Reyes was smiling, knowing that doubt had already taken root.