While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Chapter 63 Confidence Is a Weapon

The pizza shop was silent except for the muffled screams.

Xander Hale thrashed against the pillar, his face purple with rage, his eyes bulging. The duct tape over his mouth distorted his shouts into incoherent grunts. His bound wrists twisted and pulled, but the nylon rope held firm. The more he struggled, the tighter it seemed to get.

His men watched him with wide eyes. None of them moved. None of them tried to help. They had seen what happened when they disobeyed. They had felt the cold press of the gun barrel. They were not eager to feel it again.

Veyra stood at the door, watching Xander Hale’s tantrum. His cheap suit was torn at the shoulder. His slicked-back hair had fallen completely loose, hanging in greasy strands across his forehead. He looked pathetic. Like a wild animal caught in a trap.

She almost felt sorry for him, well, almost.

"Xander Hale," she said.

He stopped thrashing. His eyes locked onto hers. They were filled with hate.

"I told you the gun was empty," Veyra said. "But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have hurt you. A gun doesn’t need bullets to do damage. The barrel alone can break bones. Crush windpipes. Blind eyes."

She smiled.

"You should be grateful I’m in a good mood."

Xander Hale screamed into his gag. The sound was useless. No one was coming to help him. His men were tied up. His phone was in Veyra’s bag. The shop’s windows were covered by the roller shutter she had asked Leon Wei to lower.

He was alone.

"Well," Veyra said. "This is goodbye. I hope you have a lot of time to think about your choices."

***

The car that was taking Aunt Clark had been gone for several minutes.

Veyra stood on the sidewalk, her hands in her pockets, her mind churning. The sun was lower now. Shadows were stretching across the street.

Her thoughts went back to Aunt Clark, about the slap and the fear in her eyes when Xie Heng threatened her daughter.

She thought about Xander Hale. About the rage in his face with the way he had promised revenge.

He would not let this go. Men like him never did. His pride had been wounded. His authority had been challenged. In front of his men. In front of strangers.

He would come back. With more men. With weapons. With a plan.

Aunt Clark was not safe. Not yet.

Veyra pulled out her phone. She typed a message to Aunt Clark’s number, the one she had saved before they parted.

Stay hidden. Don’t tell anyone where you are. Not even family. Not even close friends. I’ll contact you when it’s safe.

The response came quickly.

I understand. Thank you again.

Veyra tucked the phone back into her pocket.

She walked toward the corner, toward the second black car that had been waiting down the street. Li Wei had left two bodyguards behind for her. They stood by the doors, their faces blank, their eyes alert.

"Mrs. Thorne," one of them said. "Where to?"

"The coffee shop. The one where this all started. Didi Coffee."

The bodyguard nodded. He opened the door for her. She climbed inside.

As the car pulled away from the curb, Veyra stared out the window. The pizza shop disappeared behind her. The red awning. The crooked sign. The broken window where a chair had crashed through.

She had done something today. Something she had never done before.

She had stood up to a bully. She had protected someone who could not protect herself. She had faced down armed men with an empty gun and won.

She felt powerful.

But she also felt something else. Something heavier.

Xander Hale was a local strongman. He had connections. He had backing.

Dorian could end this with a single phone call. One word from him, and Xander Hale would disappear. His backing would evaporate. His men would abandon him.

But Veyra did not want to make that phone call.

She wanted to handle this herself.

She wanted to prove that she could. That she was not just a woman who needed to be rescued. That she was not just a womb carrying an heir. That she was someone. Someone capable. Someone strong.

She would not rely on Dorian.

Not for this.

The car stopped at a red light.

Veyra looked out the window. The street was busy. Shoppers. Office workers. A woman pushing a stroller.

Her thoughts drifted back ro Aunt Clark’s daughter. The girl Xander Hale wanted to force into marriage. She was probably young. Scared. Trapped.

Veyra understood that feeling. She had felt it herself. Trapped in a marriage with a man who let her mother die. Trapped in a basement with no food and no water. Trapped in a family that looked at her like she was dirt.

She had escaped.

Now she wanted to help someone else escape.

The light turned green. The car moved forward.

Veyra pulled out her phone. She typed another message to Aunt Clark.

What’s your daughter’s name?

A moment later: Megan. Megan Clark.

How old is she?

Twenty-two. She’s in college. She doesn’t know about Xander Hale. I’ve been trying to protect her.

You don’t have to protect her alone anymore. I’ll help.

There was a long pause. Then: Why? You don’t know us.

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