His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 71: Betrayal in the Blood

The rain hammered relentlessly against the towering glass walls of the Raye penthouse, the city’s glow fractured and distorted through the cascading sheets of water. Each drop was like a sharp note in a symphony of chaos outside, a perfect reflection of the turmoil brewing within. Inside, the air was thick heavy with tension, suffocating, charged with an invisible electricity that crackled between every breath, every unspoken word.

Cambria stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her silhouette sharp against the neon-lit streets below. The city that never slept seemed distant, detached from the storm raging inside her heart. Her mind was a tempest thoughts swirling violently like the rain outside. Betrayal, loss, anger, and the fragile thread of trust she desperately clung to twisted within her like a whirlwind.

Her gaze, fierce and unyielding, was fixed far beyond the urban sprawl. The weight of recent revelations pressed on her chest, threatening to crush her under its cold grip.

Behind her, Maddox sat at the edge of the plush leather sofa, his posture rigid, fists clenched tightly like iron bands, each knuckle white with strain. The lines etched across his face deepened with the burden of their shared pain, the fractures in their fractured lives.

"How did it come to this?" Cambria whispered, barely audible, more a question flung to the silence than a demand for answers.

Maddox’s eyes lifted slowly, dark and stormy. His voice was low, heavy with a mixture of regret and bitterness. "Family isn’t just blood, Cam. It’s the poison that creeps in quietly, seeping deep into the roots, infecting everything when you least expect it."

She spun sharply to face him, eyes blazing. "You mean Knox?"

He nodded, grim and unrepentant. "He’s been playing both sides since the very beginning using Blackwood’s chaos to climb higher, to take what he believes is his by right. He’s been maneuvering in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike."

Cambria’s jaw tightened, muscles flexing with barely contained fury. "And he betrayed us. All of us."

Maddox’s voice hardened. "Not just us. He betrayed himself. Betrayed his own soul in the process."

The sharp buzz of the phone on the marble table shattered the moment like a gunshot. Maddox snatched it up, listening intently as color drained from his face. His brow furrowed deeper, eyes narrowing with cold calculation.

"What is it?" Cambria demanded, stepping closer, her pulse quickening.

"It’s Knox," Maddox said, voice taut like a drawn bowstring. "He’s made a move. Against Blackwood. Against us."

"What kind of move?" Her breath caught, a mixture of fear and fury flaring inside her.

"He’s taken control of a major asset Blackwood’s primary offshore accounts. He’s trying to cut the head off the snake without knowing which head to cut."

Cambria’s eyes narrowed to slits, every instinct screaming caution. "And the consequences?"

"The board is fractured. Blackwood’s loyalists are furious. Knox is on the run, but reckless. Dangerous." Maddox’s voice was grim, heavy with warning.

Outside, the storm mirrored the chaos inside the sky roiled with dark clouds, lightning streaking the horizon. The tempest outside seemed to mock the turmoil within the penthouse walls.

"We need to act fast," Maddox said, rising with urgency. "If Knox doesn’t get himself killed first, Blackwood’s men will."

Cambria stepped forward, resolve hardening her features like forged steel. "Then we find him first."

The following morning, in a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a clandestine meeting unfolded. Dim lighting cast long shadows across the room, revealing a table cluttered with encrypted files, digital maps pulsating with activity, and a network of secure comm devices humming softly.

Cambria, Maddox, and Julian stood around the table, their expressions grim as they processed the latest developments.

Julian’s voice cut through the silence. "Knox has gone rogue. He’s leveraging Blackwood’s money to build his own militia well-armed and growing fast."

Maddox slammed a fist down on the table, the sharp crack echoing off the concrete walls. "He thinks he can play us all. But he’s a loose cannon. Unpredictable and dangerous."

Cambria tapped a finger thoughtfully against her lips, the gears in her mind turning. "We can’t afford another enemy. Not now, not with everything on the line."

Julian shook his head, his eyes shadowed with worry. "He’s not an enemy yet. But he’s dangerously close. If we don’t stop him, he might become the greatest threat we face."

"Then we bring him in," Cambria said firmly, her gaze meeting Maddox’s. "Alive."

Maddox’s eyes flicked to hers, searching for certainty. "Do you trust him?"

Cambria’s response was steady and measured. "Not yet. But if anyone can reach him, break through to him, it’s me."

Julian’s face darkened. "Knox doesn’t just want power. He wants revenge."

Cambria’s breath caught, the word striking deep wounds. "Revenge for what?"

Julian hesitated, the weight of the truth heavy in his tone. "For the secrets Blackwood kept from him. For the lies buried deep in our bloodline."

A thick silence fell over the room, oppressive and heavy, as if the walls themselves held their breath.

Hours later, Cambria found herself walking through the cold marble halls of Blackwood’s old estate, the air still and dense with history. The estate, once a symbol of unchallenged power, now stood as a fragile neutral ground for this uneasy parley.

Knox awaited her in a private study, his posture tense, his face sharp with wariness. His dark eyes flickered with a mixture of resentment and something more vulnerable beneath.

"Cambria," he greeted with a rough edge in his voice. "You always did have a way of turning up where you’re least expected."

She met his gaze steadily, unwavering. "We need to talk."

A bitter smile curled Knox’s lips. "Talk. You and I... we’re long overdue."

The space between them crackled with unspoken history a tangled web of sibling rivalry, betrayal, and ambition that had left deep scars on both their souls.

"Why now?" Knox asked, his voice a mixture of challenge and exhaustion.

"Because we’re on the same side," Cambria said firmly. "Whether we like it or not. Blackwood’s plans are bigger than any of us."

Knox laughed a hollow, mirthless sound that echoed through the room. "You think I don’t know that? I’ve watched you dance with ghosts while I was left in the dark."

"You were left out," Cambria said softly, the pain clear in her voice. "But it’s not too late."

"Too late?" Knox’s eyes flared, the anger bubbling to the surface. "You want to know the truth? Blackwood isn’t just our enemy. He’s our father."

The words hit Cambria like a thunderclap. Her breath caught, heart pounding wildly in her chest. "No. That’s impossible."

Knox nodded slowly, eyes hardening with the weight of his discovery. "He hid it from us all of us. But I found proof. DNA. Documents."

Tears blurred Cambria’s vision. "Why?"

"Power," Knox said simply, voice low and bitter. "To keep us divided. To keep the legacy clean."

She shook her head, fighting the storm inside, refusing to break. "We can’t let him win."

"Then we don’t," Knox agreed, stepping closer. "But first, we have to face what’s been buried. Together."

As the siblings reached out, a chilling laugh sliced through the stillness like a knife.

Blackwood stepped from the shadows, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

"Welcome home," he said, his voice dripping with menace.

And behind him, a figure stepped forward someone Cambria never expected to see again.

Evelyn Stone.

The room froze in stunned silence.

The game was just beginning.