A Secretive Deal with My Billionaire Boss (by Gregory Ellington) novel Chapter 431

Madison

"Your step-siblings drugged you?" The words felt surreal. "Why would they do that?"

Alexander's expression went cold. "You already know the answer."

I processed the implication, pieces falling into place. "They wanted to make you look like a drug addict. Destroy your reputation."

"Exactly."

"But their plan failed."

"Thanks to you." His eyes found mine. "You called Dr. Peterson. Got help before things got worse. If you hadn't..." He trailed off, not finishing the thought.

The memory surfaced, still vivid after all these years. Alexander, in his penthouse, completely out of it, calling me Katherine. The panic I'd felt, the desperate phone call to Dr. Peterson. That night had changed everything.

"How did you find out it was your step-siblings who drugged you?" I asked, needing to understand.

Alexander's jaw tightened. "After the engagement, they sent me a gift. Expensive whiskey, a congratulations card, and the whole performance. I thought it was a peace offering. Their way of accepting Katherine."

He paused, staring at something in the distance.

"I poured a glass that night. Just one. Next thing I remember, I was waking up forty-eight hours later with Dr. Peterson in my bedroom and no memory of anything in between."

My chest tightened. "You could have died."

"Maybe." His voice went flat. "Dr. Peterson said my heart rate was dangerously low. Another hour and things might have been different. Katherine visited the penthouse while I was unconscious. Dr. Peterson said she only left after he arrived, claiming she had an urgent business meeting. When I asked her if she'd seen any messages or touched it, she denied everything."

I watched Alexander's face, trying to reconcile the man standing before me with the image of him unconscious, drugged, nearly dead.

"I got many bottles from them over the years," Alexander continued. "Never drank any of them. Just stored them away because throwing out expensive whiskey felt wasteful. After that night, I had them all tested. Every single bottle they'd given me. All drugged."

My chest tightened. "All of them?"

"Everyone." His hands clenched at his sides. "Years of gifts. Birthday presents, congratulations for closing deals, and holiday bottles. All of it was laced with enough drugs to kill someone who wasn't careful. They thought they were clever. Thought drugging me gradually would make it look like I had a problem. Destroy my reputation, my credibility, make the board question my leadership."

I gripped the railing harder. "What did you do?"

"I confronted them with the test results. They denied it at first. Said I was paranoid, that the tests were wrong, that I was trying to frame them." His laugh was bitter. "Then I showed them the proof. Irrefutable. Scientific. Time-stamped."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing useful. Just excuses. Justifications about how I didn't deserve the company, how our father favored me, how they were owed more." He turned to face me fully. "So I brought in my father."

"You told him?"

"Showed him. Everything. The bottles, the tests, the timeline." Alexander's voice went flat. "He was furious. Threatened to cut them off entirely. Disinherit them. Remove them from everything."

My chest tightened. "Did he?"

"No. But he made it clear their positions were conditional. One more stunt like that and they'd lose everything. Trust funds, company positions, family connections. All of it."

I processed this, trying to reconcile the Alexander I'd known with someone whose own family had tried to drug him. Multiple times. Over the years.

"That's horrible," I said quietly. "I'm sorry you went through that."

"Don't be sorry. You saved my life."

"I just did what anyone would do."

"Most people wouldn't have cared. But you did." He stepped closer. "You stayed. Made sure I was okay. Even after everything."

Heat rushed to my face. "It wasn't anything special."

"It was to me."

I turned back to the railing, needing distance. The city stretched below, oblivious to the conversation happening on this balcony.

Alexander had faced danger I'd never imagined. His own family is trying to destroy him. Years of poisoned gifts and calculated attempts to make him look incompetent. And he'd survived it. Confronted it. Dealt with it in his controlled, methodical way.

That took strength. Real strength. Not the kind you showed in boardrooms or business deals, but the kind that kept you upright when everything around you was trying to knock you down.

"Madison?"

I glanced at him. "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"About how much you've dealt with. How hard that must have been."

"It was what it was. I handled it."

"That's a good question."

"And his shower is huge! Like a whole room! With all these buttons!" Ethan mimed pressing buttons. "I wanna take a shower here!"

"Maybe another time."

"Tomorrow?"

"We'll see."

Alexander's expression softened as he watched Ethan, something raw and unguarded crossing his face.

"We should probably get going," I said, needing to end this before it became harder. "It's getting late."

"Already?" Ethan's face fell. "But I didn't see everything yet!"

"You can come back another time."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Alexander said before I could respond.

Ethan beamed. "Okay! But next time I wanna see your kitchen! And your office! And—"

"Ethan." I grabbed his hand gently. "Let's say goodbye now."

"Fine." He turned to Alexander, his expression suddenly serious. "Thank you for letting me nap in your cloud bed."

"You're welcome. Anytime."

Ethan launched himself at Alexander, wrapping his arms around his waist in a fierce hug. Alexander went completely still for a heartbeat, then his arms came up, holding Ethan with careful gentleness.

Ethan pulled back first, grinning. "You're the nicest king I've ever met!"

"I'm the only king you've ever met."

"Still the nicest!" Ethan grabbed my hand. "Can we go now? I wanna tell Hazel aunt about the cloud bed!"

"Yeah, baby. We can go."

But I didn't want to. The realization hit me square in the chest as I gathered our things. I wanted to stay in this penthouse with its ridiculous views and expensive furniture. Wanted to keep watching Alexander crouch down to Ethan's level, speaking to him with that careful gentleness I'd never seen him use with anyone else.