My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 727

Chapter 727

Dad stared at the phone.

I exhaled, “It helped me study. It helped me pass my finals.”

Dad’s brows slowly rose, “You went to university?”

I looked at him, “Yes.”

His face showed genuine surprise, “You graduated?”

Another nod, “I have a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. I remembered that you wanted me to handle the computer with Gio.”

He simply kept staring at me like the words didn’t fit the daughter he’d remembered.

“You… graduated?”

“It took a lot longer to study than everyone else,” I smiled sadly, “But I finished.”

His eyes remained fixed on me, “When was your graduation?”

The smile disappeared. I looked back down at my phone, “Three months ago. I didn’t go. Mom was getting weaker,” just saying it made my throat tighten, “She couldn’t walk much anymore. I knew I only had so much time left with her. I could always d*** ***d pictures of a graduation. I couldn’t make more time with my mom.”

Dad didn’t speak. He kept looking at me like he was trying to figure out who I’d become while I was gone.

And all I could think was, none of this would have happened if I had stayed here. The degree, the confidence, the app in my hand.

Every single piece of me standing here today had been built by the people he kept calling my captors. Mom gave me love. Raphael gave me the tools to live with my mind instead of fighting it. Jules gave me a reason to keep going. They made me into someone I could finally bear to be.

Now I just had to prove they hadn’t believed in the wrong person. I had to become someone they could be proud of. Someone worthy of standing beside them.

Dad’s voice pulled me back, “He built all of this for you.”

A sharp knock broke the silence. Dad looked toward the door, “Come in.”

Leone stepped inside, “We’ve got a problem.”

Dad’s expression hardened immediately, “What happened?”

Leone walked inside, “The shipment that landed at Pier Twelve.”

Dad’s face changed, “The Customs contact?”

Leone nodded once, “He stopped answering his phone twenty minutes ago.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed, “And?”

“Our men spotted federal vehicles less than two blocks away. If it’s only a routine inspection, we still have time but if somebody talked…”

Dad cursed under his breath, “When did this happen?”

“Five minutes ago.”

Dad grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair, “I’ll handle it.”

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Leone stepped aside without another word. Dad started toward the door but stopped and rested his hand briefly on my shoulder, “I won’t be long.”

I gave a small nod, “Okay.”

His hand squeezed my shoulder once before he walked out. I watched him disappear into the hallway. Several guards immediately fell into step behind him.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and froze when the door closed, and the lock clicked into the place.

I turned around, Leone was still standing inside the office. One hand rested on the doorknob. The door was now closed behind

him.

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