Page 43 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

S moking Gun

Asher

Evelyn looked so much like Ivy that it made me freeze with surprise.

She wore her auburn hair in a sleek bob that was only slightly shorter than her daughter’s, and she was dressed all in white, which made her red heels stand out even more.

Evelyn must have used Botox or had cosmetic surgery, because there weren't any wrinkles on her face.

But the look in Evelyn’s eyes was the smoking gun that differentiated mother and daughter. Ivy’s blue eyes were always full of warmth, love, and kindness. But Evelyn’s gaze was cold, flat, and seemed to hold no humanity. Even though they looked eerily similar, I could never mistake Ivy for Evelyn.

“Where’s Adrian?” Ivy demanded as she glared at Evelyn with hatred.

She struggled against her bindings even more than before.

Seeing her mom after seven years seemed to give her a burst of energy.

“If you have hurt him in any way, I swear to the Moon Goddess that I will rip out your throat!” she snarled.

A loud growl ripped out of my mouth, and I nodded my head, backing up her threat .

Evelyn came to a stop next to Silas, who gave her a look full of pure adoration, like a dog gazing up at its owner.

Ivy’s mother stood tall and proud. She crossed her arms and scowled down at us, enjoying the sight of us being tied up and weakened by drugs.

Evelyn didn’t immediately speak as she enjoyed seeing her plan of seven years finally come together.

Ivy had been right in saying that her mother always had a flair for the dramatics. Evelyn looked excited to be on the stage with us as her unwilling audience. She crossed her arms superiorly, and her face held a manic kind of glee.

“Your brat is fine,” Evelyn said, waving her hand airily as if our son’s safety was of little consequence. “If you follow our demands, we will allow your son to live.” Then she turned to Silas. “Nice work, sweetheart.”

Evelyn cupped his face in her hands. She brought him in for a passionate kiss. Immediately, I looked away as my stomach rolled in disgust. Ivy’s upper lip curled as she gazed at the stage like it was a horrible car accident that she couldn’t look away from.

Their kiss went on for far too long, making my head spin with nausea. Finally, they pulled away.

“So, after you discovered that Asher’s dad didn’t leave you anything in his will, you found another man to take care of you,” Ivy said icily and nodded at Silas.

Evelyn smirked and snaked her arm around Silas’ waist, who was grinning smugly.

“You’ve got it all wrong, little girl,” Evelyn said. “I met and fell in love with Silas way before I married Russell.”

My eyes widened with shock. A wave of realization washed over me as I remembered overhearing Evelyn talking to someone on the phone when she was married to my father and calling the person “S”.

S stands for Silas!

Ivy froze with her mouth open, but no sound would come out. After a beat of silence, a look of understanding crossed Ivy’s face.

“You never loved Asher’s dad!” Ivy said, glaring at her mother. “You planned on deceiving him from the very start of your relationship! ”

Evelyn let out an evil cackle and gripped Silas’ shoulder like he was her property. Her long, red nails seemed to dig into his skin, but Silas didn’t even flinch.

“Of course I didn’t love Russell,” she said. “When I met Russell, I was already madly in love with Silas—“

Ivy interrupted her with a loud scoff. “Bullshit! You’re incapable of love, you monster!”

“Be quiet, girl! Interrupt me again, and I’ll kill your boy right in front of you,” Evelyn hissed at her daughter.

My hands clenched into tight fists, and I could hear Ivy’s heart slamming in her chest. But neither of us said another word. We wouldn’t risk Adrian’s life like that.

“That’s better,” Evelyn said briskly. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. When I met the love of life,” her hands tightened onto Silas’ shoulder, “we hatched a plan to steal from the richest man in our kingdom.” Her icy eyes zeroed in on me. “Your father.”

Fury and grief shot down my spine, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.

“I seduced Russell—which was almost laughably easy—and once we were married and I was in his will, I started poisoning him,” Evelyn said as a sadistic smile crossed her face.

I sharply inhaled as my mind raced. Evelyn poisoned my dad? Was that why he died?

“During our year-long marriage, I poisoned his morning coffee with a potion a witch made for me,” Evelyn explained with an excited glint in her eyes like she was enjoying this.

“It slowly weakened his immune system until his body began to shut down. During this time, I’d been working on Russell leaving everything to me.

And the night that he finally signed those papers, I gave him enough poison to kill him. ”

My heart skipped a beat. That had been the night of Ivy’s mating ceremony. The night that my dad died. Evelyn had killed my father. She was the only reason he was dead.

Fury tore through my body, and I struggled more than ever against the rope tying my hands behind my back. My ears were ringing from the intense rage that was making my heart race.

“I'm going to kill you! I snarled at Evelyn. “You're going to pay for murdering my father, you evil hag!”

Ivy’s mother’s gaze swung to me. “Silence!” she commanded.

“You're the one who ruined everything! I thought I had your father wrapped around my finger, but you somehow convinced him to take me out of the will. You will pay for that mistake. And you,” Evelyn said, turning her head slightly to scowl at her daughter.

“You could have married Asher after the mating ceremony! He would have taken you back after rejecting you, I know he would have.”

I glared up at her with hatred. My body was shaking with rage. I still couldn't believe that she had killed my dad.

“If you had just married Asher, that would have given you the same money and status my marriage to Russell did,” Evelyn continued. “It was your job to take care of me, just as I would have taken care of you if I could have successfully gotten Russell’s money. That’s what family does.”

If I didn’t know any better, I would say that there was a slight trace of hurt in Evelyn’s voice.

I knew that I should stay silent, but I couldn’t help but speak up when I looked over at Silas and saw that he was standing there with a smug smile on his face like he was just Evelyn’s prop.

“And you wanted in on this plan because your company’s bankrupt, didn’t you?” I asked Silas, still breathing hard from my anger. “That’s why you use such cheap materials for your products.”

Silas’ face twisted in rage. “You shut your mouth!” he snarled.

“Don’t insult him!” Evelyn said. “Silas is the genius who hid in plain sight and watched you during the Alpha king project interviews. It allowed Silas to stay hidden until the end. And he’s also the one who’s been helping me track you both for the past seven years and stay hidden in his territory. ”

Ivy was still gazing at her mother with hatred. “How did you know that Asher was Adrian’s father?” she asked.

“The morning after Russell’s gala, I saw you sneaking out of Asher’s hotel room.

I knew that you spent the night with him.

That’s why I was so angry that you wouldn’t just seduce him for his money after Russell died!

” Evelyn said, her jaw clenching. “When I first saw Adrian, I knew that the boy was Asher’s and I could use him to get you both here. ”

Evelyn gazed at Ivy and me with wicked satisfaction for another moment, then clapped her hands.

“Now, you must pay for thinking you can cross me. Asher, you must sign a will, leaving everything to me,” Evelyn said, then turned to her daughter.

“Then, I’m going to rip out his throat in front of you to punish you for not marrying Asher in the first place.

If Asher signs the will in front of a witness, I will allow Adrian and you to live.

You two must go to another kingdom escorted by Silas’ guards.

You must never come back, or I will frame you for Asher’s death. ”

“And with you two gone, I will get the important account from the Alpha king,” Silas added arrogantly.

“If you don’t give in to our demands, I will kill your little brat in front of you,” Evelyn said, and a vicious expression crossed her face. “But not before I torture him first.”

My vision blurred as anger and fear pounded into me like a well-aimed punch.

Evelyn snapped her fingers, and the curtain opened to reveal an army of guards. The two in the front were carrying an unconscious Adrian.