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When he was expelled the first time, Noah’s anger had surprised and upset him.

Their relationship became distant and strained, without either of them understanding the other’s point of view, and Alex had built up walls of rage that had never come down since.

Now he wished he’d been less consumed by his own misery and more aware of the pressures on his father.

That he’d tried harder to enter his father’s world, to listen and learn from him, instead of being so quick to descend into sullen anger.

He wondered what it had been like for his dad to watch his mum and Charles bond over Charles’s rowing career and to be effectively shut out of that relationship, left only with the glowering younger son who wanted nothing to do with him.

It had been expensive to nurture Charles’s ambitions, and Noah, always eager to please his vivacious wife, had worked hard to afford it.

Alex also wondered now if his father had ever really wanted to join the family firm, or if he’d done so because it’d been expected of him.

Noah was a practical man who enjoyed pottering around in his garden and nurturing plants in his greenhouse.

He was good at repairing broken items in their rambling old house, like shelves and taps, even though they had servants to do that.

Lytton AV was his birthright, but maybe he’d have been happier as a gardener or handyman.

Alex’s grandfather had been a sharp businessman, obsessed with making money, who expected the same to be true for his only son.

Had those expectations for Noah been as damaging as Noah’s expectations for Alex?

Had they all failed each other, passing on a curse of misunderstanding down through the generations?

Studying his father, he was worried by what he saw.

Noah had lost weight – his suit was rumpled and hung from his shoulders, and his face was gaunt, with a grey cast. Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt for the part his behaviour must have played in Noah’s state of health.

He hung his head again, remaining hidden behind Tyler in the vain hope his father wouldn’t see or recognise him.

“What the hell are you doing here, George?” Noah demanded.

“I’m here at your invitation, on behalf of the Magnus Association. I believe Lytton AV isn’t doing so well, so you approached Magnus for some funding as all your usual sources have dried up,” Tyler said smoothly.

“I have a meeting with Bellman?—”

“Indisposed.” Tyler waved a hand in the air.

“I’m the vice-chair at Magnus, but I like to keep it quiet.

Of course, Magnus is a private and somewhat loose association of businesspeople and financiers with money to invest in the right projects, so you can understand why I like to keep my involvement under the radar. ”

“You’re not welcome here, George,” Noah told him coldly. “You know that.”

“So you don’t want Magnus’s money?” Tyler raised an eyebrow.

“As you know, our usual practice is for one of us to make a study of a company and then put forward a recommendation to our members regarding an investment package. If you refuse my visit today, Magnus won’t deal with you in any capacity again; I’ll make sure of that.

” Tyler smiled. “I suppose it depends on how much you want the money, Noah.”

Alex saw the desperate look on his father’s face and felt sorry for him. He knew what it was like to be hooked on the end of Tyler’s line.

“You won’t put forward a favourable recommendation regardless,” Noah said wearily. “So there’s no point me playing along with whatever game you’re playing.”

“I might, if you’re civil to me.”

“You’re a competitor. I’m hardly going to share sensitive financial information with you.”

“So be it.” Tyler shrugged. “I’m sorry to hear your fortunes haven’t improved, but when Lytton AV finally hits the wall, please do call me. I’m always interested in buying you out.”

“I know you’ve always wanted to sit behind this desk,” Noah retorted. “It’s your life’s ambition. Will you never give up trying, George?”

“I was more your father’s natural heir than you ever were,” Tyler snapped. “I got on with the old man – we were cut from the same cloth. Given the total mess you’ve made of running this place, I think he’d be happy to have me sitting there.”

“Lytton AV isn’t for sale,” Noah said firmly.

“It won’t be long,” Tyler predicted confidently. “I hear you’ve already had to sell some of your IS contracts.”

“We’re doing fine, thank you. Now, please leave.” Noah gestured towards the door. “Unless you’d prefer me to call security and have you escorted from the premises? ”

“There’s no need for that. I came here to do you a favour, but if you don’t want it…

” Tyler turned. Alex edged around, too, hoping desperately that he might get out of here without his father noticing his presence.

“Oh, one more thing…” Tyler swung back again, and Alex’s heart plummeted. “I’m curious – how is Alexander doing?”

The expression on Noah’s face darkened. “I have no idea. I disowned him.”

“So you didn’t make any effort to request information from the court as to who his contract was sold to, or where he is? That’s harsh.”

“My son is dead to me,” Noah said flatly. “I don’t want to know where he is. He’s nothing to me.”

“That’s a shame. Did you hear that, Alexander?” Grabbing Alex, he thrust him in front of his father’s desk. “Your father doesn’t care who your houder is,” he said silkily.

His fingers were digging into Alex’s flesh, making Alex remember his threat about Solange. “I heard him, sir,” he muttered.

Noah made a startled sound and looked at him properly for the first time.

As his father’s gaze raked over him, Alex could sense him searching for some hint of his son beneath the vile outfit. Feeling desperately ashamed of his appearance, he wondered what his father must be thinking as he realised that his old enemy had been the one to buy his son.

Noah took a step backwards and fell into his chair. “Alex?” he said hoarsely.

Tyler’s fingers dug even deeper, indicating that he should reply.

“Yes,” he said, barely able to meet his father’s eye.

“I didn’t want news of my purchase to be common knowledge, so I’ve kept him under wraps,” Tyler said.

“Do you hate me that much?” Noah asked, never taking his eyes off his son. “That first you ruined him, then bought him, and then turned him into… into whatever he is now?” He waved his hand.

“Hate you? No.” Tyler shook his head vehemently. “I remember our time together at Oxford and our old friendship fondly, Noah, even if you did destroy it by first stealing my girlfriend, then trying to make me your IS. ”

“I made mistakes,” Noah said abruptly. “And you’ve never let me forget it.”

“Yes, you made mistakes – and I forgive you. It isn’t you I hate. It’s Alexander.”

“Why would you hate him?” Noah asked blankly.

“For the same reason you should – because he killed Izzy,” Tyler said fiercely.

Alex could feel the pain and rage boiling inside the man’s body.

He sensed Tyler struggling to keep it under control and realised that he’d never fully appreciated the passion behind Tyler’s cruelty.

Maybe Tyler had genuinely adored his mother – his feelings certainly remained fiery and undimmed, even after all these years.

“She was my wife,” Noah said softly. “If anyone should hate Alex it’s me, but I forgave him – for that at least.”

“She was your wife, but I loved her,” Tyler flung back at him.

“Come on, Noah, you know that. You knew it years ago, because I spent weeks telling you how much I worshipped her, and that she was the love of my life. But the minute I introduced her to you, you wanted her for yourself. You were already going to inherit Lytton AV, which was built on my father’s talent and hard work, but that wasn’t enough – you had to have Izzy, too.

You took everything that should have been mine, and then you had the bloody nerve to offer me a job as your fucking IS.

” His voice was full of a barely controlled fury that Alex knew had been decades in the making and was integral to what made George Tyler tick.

He was merely a pawn in the bitter feud between Tyler and his father that stretched back to before he’d been born.

“Izzy loved me, but you seduced her with your wealth, your power, and your prospects – so she left me and married you.”

“I loved her, too,” Noah said in a shaky voice.

“I loved her first – but you wanted her, so you had to have her, like a typical spoilt Lytton.”

“No, I genuinely fell in love with her. Yes, I knew you were in love with her, and I knew I should walk away out of respect for our friendship, but I couldn’t help myself. I really loved her,” Noah said.

“Well, she didn’t love you,” Tyler continued mercilessly. “She realised she’d made a mistake, but by then she had two young sons and didn’t want to abandon them. She promised me she’d leave you when Alexander was eighteen, and she would have done so, too, if your son hadn’t killed her.”

Noah stared at him in shock. “Isobel wasn’t going to leave me.”

“Yes, she was,” Tyler crowed. “She was having an affair with me. Alexander – show your father the holopad.”

Alex had almost forgotten about it. He hesitated, but Tyler shoved him forward. He teetered, unsteadily, to his father’s chair and clicked on the icon.

A holopic sprang up in the room. It was his mother, wearing a dressing gown, sitting on a bed in a room that was decorated in Tyler’s favourite colours – red, white, and black. She was smiling as she looked at the camera, her eyes dancing.

“It’s a fake,” Noah cried angrily. “AI generated, no doubt.”

“You can show it to your experts, but it’s real. There’s an authenticity logo to prove it.” Tyler pointed at the truth mark on the image. “There are more. Show your father the truth, Alexander.”