Chapter 13: Her Photos
Brandon’s POV
The morning sun cast long shadows across my
my office in the
The 27th floor of Stark Tower, highlighting the subtle grain of my mahogany – desk. I’d been here since doen, reviewing quarterly reports that could have waited, but sleep had become an elusive companion lately. My thoughts kept drifting to a pair of defiant eyes and the sulle tremor in her voice when she’d told me she wouldn’t marry
A knock at the door interrupted my musings. “Come ”
James entered with his usual efficiency, a stack of reports in his arm “Good morning, Mr. Stark. The financial statements from last month.”
I nodded, not looking up from the document I’d been pretending to read. “Go on.”
“The marketing department has significantly exceeded their budget finance is requesting your decision on-
“James.” I cut him off, finally meeting his gaze. “Why are you bringing this to me?”
He hesitated, just for a moment. In the decade he’d worked for me, I’d learned to read those microscopic shifts in his expression,
“Sir, given the scale of the overrun-
I hired competent people to manage these departments.” I leaned back in my chair, studying him. “Let them do their jobs. If it’s within acceptable parameters, I don’t need to know about it.”
“Of course, sir.” He adjusted his stance slightly another tell. There was something else.
“What is it?”
Miss Taylor went to Fortune Corp today.”
My fingers stilled on the pen I’d been holding.
Ing. Summer. “And?”
“The rumors…” James paused, choosing his words carefully. They’re saying she tried to steal her sister’s fiancé. Lawrence and several board members have been particularly vocal about it. Some of the staff were overheard discussing her… methods of achieving success in Europe.”
Something cold settled in my c chest. Of course they would attack her reputation. It’s what voitures do. “Continue.”
or
“She handled herself well in the morning meeting, sir. But the whispers continue.”
“This is her complete background file. He placed a thick folder on my desk with characteristic precision
I waited until he finished his other updates before issuing the order that had been forming in my mind since her last rejection. “Reduce Fortune Corp’s investment allocation.”
“By home much, sir?
“Enough
to make them nervous.” Let’s see how Alexander bundles that
James nodded and retreated, leaving me alone with the folder that seemed to pulse with possibility on my desk. 1 waited exactly thirty seconds after the door clicked shut before reaching for it.
The file was comprehensive – birth records, school transcripts, medical history, financial records. James’s thoroughness never
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Chapter 13: Her Photos
disappointed. But it was the photographs that caught my attention Professional headshots from various stages of her career, casual snapshots from social media, family events…
Then I saw it. A plato from Columbia, dated three years ago. Summer and Alexander, standing together on the campus lawn. His arm around her waist, her smile bright and unguarded. The lighting caught her profile perfectly, highlighting the gentle curve of her smile. Something about that smile…
I forced myself to breathe, to examine this visceral reaction with the same analytical precision I applied to market trends. This…. irritation at seeing her with Alexander was unexpected. Inconvenient.
Something dark and possessive twisted in my chest. Without hesitation, I tore the photo cleanly in half, separating the sisters. Victoria’s half went straight into the trash. Summer’s portion, I carefully slid into my wallet, right behind my business cards. Mine
The next photo in the stack showed Summer alone, caught in a condat moment at what appeared to be a charity gala. Her head was turned slightly, profile illuminated by warm lighting, a small smile playing at her lips.
“James.” I didn’t raise my voice- I never needed to
He appeared instantly, as if he’d been waiting. He probably had been
“I want Victoria Taylors complete file. Everything. Especially anything involving Summer.”
“How soon, sir?”
Thirty minutes.”
His expression didn’t change, but I caught the slight tightening around his eyes. Getting that much information that quickly would be challenging, even for him. “Yes, sir.”
I returned to the file, examining the sections about Summer’s family dynamics. The patterns were… interesting. The strained relationship with her mother Elizabeth, the complex dynamic with Victoria, the way she’d moved out of the family mansion years ago. But through it all, one connection remained strong – her relationship with Professor Thompson.
My old mentor. Her beloved grandfather. The coincidence was too perfect not to use.
A paragraph about a childhood incident caught my eye–something Involving Victoria saving Summers life. That explains the bold she has over her. I made a mental note to dig deeper into that particular story.
My phone buzzed with a message from James: “Meeting with Mr. Lee for expedited assistance.”
Closing the file, 1 let my gaze drift to the city skyline beyond my office windows. Somewhere out there, Summer was probably sitting in her office at Fortune Corp, dealing with the whispers and stares that Alexander’s betrayal had generated.
Let them talk, I thought, my fingers brushing over the photo in my wallet. Soon enough, they’ll have something else entirely to whisper
The intercom buzzed. “Sir? Mr. Lee’s team has begun the investigation: The preliminary information about Miss Victoria Taylor be ready in twenty minutes.”
“Good.” I didn’t bother responding further.
I turned back to the window, watching the morning sun glint off neighboring skyscrapers. The Taylor sisters… such an interesting study in contrasts. Victoria, the favored daughter, perfectly groomed for high society. And Summer…
The memory of her defiant eyes as she rejected my proposal brought an unexpected smile to my lips. You can run all you want, Summer Taylor. But I’ve never lost something I truly wanted
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The Billionaire’s Sudden Bride.
Chapter 14: Changes
