One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

Jeffrey stared at his phone, at the picture of Chase and Mackenzie. Mackenzie. She was the only person in the picture that caught his interest. His onyx eyes were filled with shock, roaming her face on the screen. She looked different. With her thick, long curls left untouched, unlike how he remembered her always straightening till the point where he felt sickened just by looking at her.

He could see she was glowing, even when she was not directly facing the camera. But he still could not believe it was her. He say in absolutely stunned silence.

His mother had paid a reporter to stalk Chase in other to dig around for some dirt on him. Instead of the reporter capturing a juicy secret they could wield as a weapon against him, to show the board of directors and win them over, but he had gotten something even more shocking.

Something Jeffrey never expected.

He could not believe Chase was with Mackenzie. What was she even doing in Greensville? She had run off to North Dakota, and did not even show up after that since the divorce was conducted easily ad peacefully without them setting eyes on each other.

Jeffrey frowned again. Why the hell was Chase with her? Did that mean Chase had known she was in the city all along?

For how long had she been right under their noses?

Suddenly, he remembered something that happened a few nights back when he was dead drunk at the Nightshade Club and Bar. After that night, he had thought his drunken mind had just been playing tricks on him, but he could swear he saw someone that looked like Mackenzie back there.

The person walked like her. The same curly dark hair, the same build and height. He only didn’t see her face.

And the woman had been trying to get away from him when he called her back. He had followed her till he finally lost track of her… and instead met … Chase.

Wait a second.

He looked down at the picture. Chase and Mackenzie. He recalled meeting Chase in the hallway where the lady had vanished. Could it be…?

“No.” He muttered to himself, brushing the thought away.

There’s no way that was Mackenzie. She was such a naive little female who had no business in such a high profile club as the Nightshade Club. Besides, she knows nothing about clubbing. She was just a dumb young woman from the suburbs who knew nothing about life in a city like Greensville.

Eleanor stopped her pacing and glanced back at Jeffrey. She watched him with displeasure and moved to knock his phone to the couch.

“There’s no time to sit around staring at a screen, Jeffrey!” She ranted. “The article is giving amazing results, as the stock prices have dropped again. At this point, the board of directors would not stay still anymore, so it is your chance to swoop in and take charge!”

She placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at her son. “Nobody really realizes or cares you are the stepson. All they see is a magnificent company with two sons who could take the lead at any turn of events. Everybody wants to be on the side of the son who is doing better, and Chase isn’t right now.

“First his messy divorce, now this scandal. The board of directors would want someone who makes them reassured in this period. And that should be you! You are as much your father’s son as Chase is, so this is what we’re going to do-”

Her words are cut short when she saw that Jeffrey was barely listening. He was still lost in his thoughts.

Frustrating colored her face as she yelled, “Jeffrey!”

He jolted out of his thoughts and glanced at her. She moved closer, “I’m talking to you! How can you sit there and let your mind wander while we have this opportunity? This is the golden opportunity we have been looking for.”

Jeffrey asked quietly, “Mother, did you know Mackenzie was in Greensville all this time?”

Eleanor face squeezed in disdain at the mention of that name.

She straightened up and let out a scoff, “Who cares about that miserable brat? You do not have to worry about her, son. She is way too timid and weak for her to be of any interest to us. And if, by any chance, she does anything crazy, I could so easily squash her like a mere bug.”

“While chasing a lion, we found a pathetic little mouse. Would it not be far easier, and more enjoyable to crush a mouse than a lion? Our reporter did not get what we had initially wanted, but this picture is more than enough. Actually, it’s better than our expectations.

“The internet is in chaos over this. And surely, that reflects on the investments and stocks. So, Jeffrey, we just have to keep an eye on her and destroy her if she steps out of her pathetic little line.”

Jeffrey listened to Eleanor’s words, his eyebrows narrowed into a frown.

She continued enthusiastically, her hair swaying around her neck.

“Do not be bothered by her. Was that not a waitress uniform she had on? Our reporter can give us the address of that place, and we can easily find her if we need to. Pathetic little mouse. She’s such a piece of cake. Our main goal is to attack Chase.”

She turned back to Jeffrey, lowering her face so she stared into his eyes with a hard look.

“Now, eyes on the price, Jeffrey. We want you to be the CEO, have equal shares of the company.”

Jeffrey sounded envious when he reminded Eleanor, “You are forgetting something, mother. When father completely steps down, he still remains the chairman of the conglomerate. And in the process of doing that, he might pass all of his shares to Chase. If he does that, Chase would have the most control over Axford.”

Eleanor let out a little, evil laugh.

Jeffery blinked, wondering what the hell she found so funny about what he just said. She smiled at him, eyes twinkling.

“Listen, son. Richard is sick and he might actually die. So do not worry about that at all. I would be worried about his will, instead.”

Jeffrey went rigid with shock. Then managed to utter, “How? What? How do you even know that?”

“Do you think, for even one second, that I believed that cock and bull story of him going to the hospital for medical checkups? I am not a damn doctor, or nurse, but I know that no check ups can last for so many days.”

She sneered, “Is he trying to pass it up as bed rest? And even if it is a check up, as his wife, he should have had me come visit him a few times already. But no, he tells me not to worry about him. Hm, like I ever was. ”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you sure of this, mother? That father is sick?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about how credible my information is, I have great and reliable sources. I have my ways in the hospital. Do you think I could have survived in this family for years without picking up a few things and learning how the wealthy people play their dirty chess games with people’s lives?”

She placed a hand on Jeffery’s, giving him a determined look.

“I came here prepared. And I will do anything for you, my son. You have to climb the highest ladder and sit right at the top. You have to be the true leader of Axford, and be in complete control. I made the mistake of having you with a useless wife beater and excuse of a man. But now, I am ready to atone for it, by giving you everything you never had as a kid.”

“Now, we would get what we want. What we have waited so long for. What I have been preparing for. To grab any opportunity open to me, or create an opportunity myself as we have done with this article. So, get ready son. We have a battle before us.”

She got up from the couch and walked out of the room. Jeffrey stared after her, head crowded with her words, the article, Mackenzie and Chase.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

He ran both hands through his hair and let out a loud sigh.

“Fuck, I need a damn drink.”

He got up from the couch and moved to the bar area of the room, grabbing an expensive bottle of alcohol. He grabbed a glass and poured in some of the dark brown liquid. Setting the bottle down, he raised the glass to his lips and gulped down the liquor.

It burned down his throat, but immediately gave him the clarity he needed.

He clamped the glass back on the counter and let out a sigh. Now, Jeffrey knew exactly what he had to do.