His Last Command Came Back to Kill Him novel Chapter 48

Whitley parked her car smoothly in the underground garage of PurePath Biologics.

Right now, all she wanted was to get into the lab. Throwing herself into work was the only way to momentarily block out the utter mess her life had become.

Clutching her briefcase, she walked briskly toward the elevators. Just as her finger reached for the call button, a tall figure stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, aggressively blocking her path.

It was Caleb.

Whitley looked up. Meeting his furious, ice-cold glare, her heart sank heavily, though her face remained an impassive mask.

"Move," she said, her voice completely devoid of warmth. It was the only response she had the energy for.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Caleb's face darkened instantly, the air around him dropping to a freezing temperature. "You bully my sister, and you think you can just walk away like nothing happened?"

The words physically hurt. It felt as though an invisible hand had gripped her heart and squeezed, a dull, spreading ache radiating through her chest.

How could she have forgotten? Caleb was Yelena's biological brother. They shared the same blood. Of course he would unconditionally take her side.

But how could she forget the past twenty years before Yelena returned? He had treated her like his real sister, spoiling her, fiercely protecting her. He used to save the best things for her, and if anyone dared to cross her, he was the first to step up. His warmth and blatant favoritism used to be her safest harbor in the Nash family.

Her throat felt tight. She looked up at him. "Am I not your sister anymore?"

Just because Yelena had returned, did that mean her twenty years as the adopted daughter instantly revoked her right to be his family?

Caleb's eyes grew even colder at the question. He gritted his teeth, his words sharp enough to draw blood. "Do you even deserve to be? If I had known how incredibly vicious you were, I never would have claimed you as my sister."

Whitley stared straight back into his eyes. The warmth that used to live there was completely gone, replaced by a devastating emptiness.

Looking at this man who was suddenly a stranger, she spoke slowly and clearly. "And what if I don't?"

She wouldn't apologize. She wouldn't step aside. She wouldn't coddle Yelena, and she absolutely would not let Yelena walk all over her boundaries.

If twenty years meant nothing to him, then she was done pretending it meant anything to her.

It was a sick joke. The people she had once loved the most—her husband, her brother, her family—were now entirely devoted to Yelena, treating Whitley like some irredeemable villain.

Caleb's eyes turned to ice. "Whitley, you used to be so well-behaved. What happened to you? If you're going to keep acting this unhinged, it's no wonder Clive wants to divorce you."