Slept with one Twin...and Fell for the Other

Chapter 24

Tristan POV

In all honesty, I didn’t know Bellamy was her at first.

When she walked into the office that day—tired eyes, rushed breath, that fitted blouse wrinkled at the waist—something inside me triggered. A flicker. A pulse. A whisper in the back of my mind that wouldn’t settle.

But I couldn’t figure out why.

Because I was wasted that night, okay? Drunk out of my skull, heart cracked open after hearing about my parents’ death. My memories of that night were blurred. Smudged around the edges. Her laughter, her perfume, the way she said she was running from something—it was all fog and static in my brain.

And every time my mind gets like that—scrambled and loud—that’s when I start to draw.

That’s how I think. That’s how I remember.

So that night, after her interview, I went home and I drew. Her hair. Her face. Her eyes. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until it was finished.

And that’s when it hit me.

It was her.

The girl from the motel. The one night that shouldn’t have meant anything—but it did.

Did I know from the start? No.

Did I know before I took her to the resort?

Yeah. I knew.

And now? Now I was in my brother’s office, watching him pace like a storm, punching the air with every word.

“I can’t fucking believe you!” Max shouted. “You slept with her?! An employee, Tristan! Are you insane?!”

I stayed seated, leaning back in the chair like it wasn’t collapsing underneath me. “She wasn’t an employee when it happened.”

“Don’t pull that technicality shit with me,” he snapped. “You knew! You knew and you let her think it was me!”

I shook my head. “I didn’t let her think anything. She just assumed.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You set me up.”

I blinked. “What?”

“This whole thing,” he said, pacing again, voice sharp like a knife. “You planned it. You let her think it was me so you could watch it explode. You wanted to ruin me!”

I stood now, jaw clenched. “Are you hearing yourself? What kind of twisted fantasy are you living in? I didn’t plan anything!”

“Bullshit!” he yelled, pointing a finger in my face. “You’ve always been jealous! You hated that I was Dad’s favorite, that I got the company, that people respect me! And now you’re trying to steal the only woman I gave a damn about?”

I froze.

“Gave a damn about?” I echoed, voice cold. “You were screwing other bitches.”

His nostrils flared.

I shook my head. “This isn’t about jealousy. This is about you not being used to someone choosing something other than you for once.”

Max’s eyes darkened. “You slept with her.”

“It was one night. I didn’t know who she was, and neither did she.” My voice was sharp. “But you? You had her here, in your office, offering her fake promises and hand kisses while screwing around.”

His face twisted. “You don’t get to talk about my office.”

I laughed bitterly. “You mean our office?”

“You’re done,” he said. “You’re fucking done, Tristan.”

I tilted my head. “Oh? You’re firing me too?”

“Yes!” Max bellowed. “You’re out! Done! You can take your sketchbooks and your brooding attitude and shove it!”

I smirked. “You can’t fire me.”

“What?”

I stepped closer. “I own shares, remember? I’m not just your twin—I’m part of this company whether you like it or not. You can scream and throw all the tantrums you want, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Max’s face turned red. “This company was mine! Dad left it to me!”

“No, Dad left us this company,” I said, voice lower. “You just never learned how to share.”

He stared at me for a long time, chest heaving, fury radiating off him like heat.

“You want me gone?,” I said, turning toward the door. “Fine. But do one decent thing while you sit on your throne.”

“What now?” Max spat.

“Rehire Bellamy.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding me.”

“She’s pregnant,” I said sharply. “And she needs this job more than either of us need our egos stroked.”

“I don’t give a shit.”

I stepped back to the door. “You should.”