Chapter 7

On the drive home, I asked William about Alexander’s situation. He sighed, then explained, “The Sterling empire—it’s a mess. Alexander’s grandfather wants to hand over full control of the company to him after the marriage. But his aunt Victoria? She’s convinced the company should be split between her husband and Alexander’s father.”

“The problem is,” William continued, “those two are business disasters. Especially his uncle—he lost millions in a hedge fund scam. If Alexander hadn’t stepped in, half the family fortune would have vanished.” Victoria, unable to change her father-in-law’s mind, turned her attention to sabotaging Alexander instead, targeting the marriage arrangement.

“Alexander was watching Victoria, but he never expected her to use her own teenage son,” William shook his head. “He didn’t pay enough attention to his cousin. That’s how he got drugged tonight.”

I absorbed this information, grateful our family was simpler—just the three of us, with no scheming relatives. Before I could comment, William’s phone rang. I glimpsed Castro’s name on the screen. Since William was navigating a tricky turn, I hesitantly answered on speakerphone.

“William, has Aveline returned home?” Castro’s voice was urgent. William shot me an amused glance. “Yeah, how’d you know?” “I…” Castro paused. “Could I speak with her? Please?” William’s smile widened. “She’s right here, mate. Speaker’s on.”

After a long pause, Castro spoke softly, “Aveline, could we talk privately?” William’s expression sharpened. “What’s so secret you can’t say it in front of me? Need advice on winning back Oriana?”

“No,” Castro sighed. “Oriana’s in the past. Aveline, please, just five minutes?”

“Bloody hell!” William slammed on the brakes, pulling over. “You think I don’t know about your obsession with Oriana? How many lookalikes have you gone through—five, six? And now you have the audacity to pursue my sister? My sister?”

He couldn’t contain his anger. “I’ve treated you like family for years, Castro, but so help me God, if you don’t back off, I’ll hop on the next flight and ensure you spend the next month in intensive care.” He hung up, tossing the phone aside as it continued to ring.

Turning to me, his eyes blazed. “What’s really going on? You said you barely knew him.” I confessed everything. When I finished, he pulled me into a fierce hug, tears in his eyes. “I should have warned you about Oriana. This isn’t your fault—it’s mine for trusting the wrong person.”

I shook my head, touched by his protectiveness. “I should have known something was wrong when he wouldn’t go public or meet you for seven years.”

“I know, gut Alexander’s wow,” he squeezed my shoulder. “I’d stake my life on him being worthy.”

We thought Castro, proud as he was, would disappear after William’s outburst. But the next morning, as we sat around the breakfast table, our housekeeper announced someone was insisting on seeing me.