Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 5

**TITLE: Pushing the Edge 5**
**CONTENT: Chapter 05**

“Don’t call! You’re mean! Don’t be a tattletale!”

I could hardly believe that a child of his stature could deliver such a forceful blow. Max barreled into me like a freight train, and in an instant, I found myself sprawled on the floor, the impact sending a sharp jolt of pain radiating through my tailbone.

Amelia rushed to my side, her expression plastered with an exaggerated concern that felt insincere. She reached out, attempting to help me to my feet, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

“Elara, I’m so, so sorry! Max is just… he’s just playful. He didn’t mean to push you that hard.” Her eyes were wide, shimmering with faux innocence. “He’s just a child, you know. Can’t you cut him some slack?”

I winced as I pressed my hand against my lower back, my gaze drawn to the oil painting on the wall, which now bore a gaping hole right in its center. A bitter laugh escaped my lips, the absurdity of the situation washing over me like a cold wave.

“So your version of ‘parenting’ involves letting your child run rampant with a hammer, transforming someone else’s home into a disaster zone? Have you completely forgotten that you’re a guest here? This is my home, not a playground for Max.”

Instantly, Amelia’s eyes glistened with tears, a classic performance designed for the onlookers, ensuring they witnessed how I was supposedly tormenting her. It was all so predictably theatrical.

“Zane is the one who invited us here,” she retorted, her voice laced with feigned hurt. “If my husband were still alive, I wouldn’t be imposing on anyone like this. And I’m truly sorry, but I only looked away for one second…” She paused, letting her words linger, thick with drama. “Elara, do you always have to be so harsh? Or is it just me you can’t stand? Is that why you’re taking it out on my son?”

I nodded slowly, deliberately, my eyes taking in the chaotic aftermath of what he had wreaked in just a few hours. “He’s managed to demolish half the room in a couple of hours. So tell me, Amelia—when exactly were you keeping an eye on him?”

“You—” Her expression tightened, the mask of sweetness slipping momentarily. Her voice turned icy, cutting through the tension. “Elara, why can’t you be reasonable? Are you really going to run to the family over a broken painting? Do you honestly believe Grandma Grayson will take your side against me and a child?”

I remained unfazed, my voice low and dangerously calm. “Let me clarify one thing for you. It’s not merely a broken painting.”

“You vicious bitch! This was all your doing! You set me and Max up, you scheming—!”

Her brown eyes blazed with fury, a pure hatred radiating from her like heat from a flame. If looks could kill, I would have been nothing more than a lifeless shell on the floor.

But who was she to unleash such venom on me? What had I done to deserve this? Nothing at all. This was her reckoning—all I had done was defend myself.

I met her seething glare, the kind that seemed sharp enough to slice through flesh, with a composed, unwavering smile. “Relax, Amelia. This? This is merely the beginning.”

“W-What…?” she stammered, a flicker of genuine fear flashing across her features.

Just then, the heavy front door creaked open, the sound echoing ominously in the silence that followed.