The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 89 - eighty nine

Chapter Eighty-Nine

Alicia’s POV

Pa Wood led us to a private room off the main ballroom. One of those spaces reserved for family during events. Quiet. Soundproofed. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Travis walked ahead of me, his shoulders rigid with tension. Layla followed close behind him, already preparing her defense. I could see it in the way she held herself. Ready for battle. Ready to protect her son no matter what he’d done.

When we entered, I was surprised to see Sasha already there. She was standing near the window, her arms crossed. The triumph from earlier had faded from her expression, replaced by something harder to read. Anger maybe. Or frustration.

Pa Wood closed the door behind us with a heavy click.

"Sit down," he commanded. "All of you."

We sat. Travis slumped in his chair like a puppet with cut strings. Layla perched on the edge of hers, back straight, ready to pounce. Sasha remained standing, defiant. I took the chair furthest from Travis, needing distance.

Pa Wood remained standing. Positioned in front of us like a judge. His face was carved from stone. No warmth. No mercy. Just cold, calculated fury.

"Travis," he said. The single word carried the weight of disappointment and rage. "Explain yourself."

Travis’s mouth opened and closed. No words came out. What could he say? The evidence had been laid bare for hundreds of people to see. Detailed financial records. Bank statements. Casino receipts. All of it damning.

"I... it’s not what it looks like," he finally managed.

"Not what it looks like?" Pa Wood’s voice remained dangerously quiet. "Then what is it? What should we call unauthorized transfers from company accounts? Hidden gambling debts? Loans taken against Blackwood assets without board approval?"

"Those documents could be faked," Layla interjected. "Anyone could have—"

"Enough." Pa Wood didn’t even look at her. His eyes stayed locked on Travis. "Are the documents real?"

Travis hesitated. That moment of silence was answer enough.

"Travis has been under a lot of stress," Layla said, her voice taking on a desperate edge. "The pressure of being the eldest son. The expectations. He made some mistakes, yes, but—"

"Mistakes?" Pa Wood finally turned to her. "You call embezzlement a mistake? You call stealing from your own family a mistake?"

"He wasn’t stealing. He was borrowing. He would have paid it back—"

"With what money? The company funds he’d already gambled away?" Pa Wood’s control was slipping. His voice rising. "Do you have any idea what this does to us? To our reputation? To the business?"

"We can manage this," Layla insisted. "We can spin it. Say the documents were fabricated by competitors. By enemies trying to destroy us—"

"Mother, stop." Travis’s voice was hollow. Empty. "Just stop."

Layla turned to him, shock written across her face. "Travis—"

"It’s all true. The transfers. The gambling. The loans. All of it." He laughed bitterly. "I thought I could win it back. Thought I’d get lucky and no one would ever know. But I just kept losing. Kept digging deeper."

The confession hung in the air. Heavy. Undeniable.

Layla’s face crumpled. "Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you ask for help?"

"Because you would have told father. And he would have..." Travis gestured vaguely at Pa Wood. "This. Exactly this."

"How much?" Pa Wood asked. His voice was cold again. Controlled. "How much did you steal?"

Travis looked down at his hands. "Three million. Maybe more. I lost count after a while."

Three million dollars. The number made my head spin. That was more money than I could even conceptualize. More than I’d earn in multiple lifetimes.

"Jesus Christ," Pa Wood muttered. He looked older suddenly. Tired. Like this revelation had aged him years in minutes. "Three million."

"I can fix it," Travis said quickly. "I can sell some assets. My car. The properties mother gave me. I can—"

"Your assets don’t cover half of what you’ve stolen." Pa Wood moved to the window, staring out at the city lights. "The board will want your head. The shareholders. The media is probably already running stories."

"Then we contain it," Layla said, standing up. Moving to Pa Wood’s side. "We make Travis step down quietly. Say it’s for personal reasons. Put someone else in his position temporarily—"

"No one will believe that now. Not after tonight." Pa Wood turned to face her. "You realize what you’ve enabled, don’t you? Years of covering for him. Making excuses. Protecting him from consequences. This is the result."

"I’m his mother. It’s my job to protect him."

"It’s your job to raise him properly. To teach him responsibility. Honor. Integrity. You failed." The words were brutal. Cutting. "You’ve created a man who steals from his own family and sees nothing wrong with it."

Layla’s face flushed red. "How dare you—"

"How dare me?"

Pa wood frowned.

"I dare because it’s true." Pa Wood’s eyes were hard. "And because of that failure, you’ve lost your authority in this family. Effective immediately, you have no say in business decisions. No access to company accounts. No position on the board."

"You can’t do that," Layla whispered. "I’ve worked for this family for—"

"I just did. Your only role now is as my son’s wife. Nothing more."

The punishment landed like a physical blow. Layla swayed slightly, reaching for the nearby desk to steady herself. Being stripped of power in the Blackwood family was worse than being disowned. It meant becoming invisible. Irrelevant.

I sat frozen in my chair, watching this family tear itself apart. Part of me felt vindicated. Travis was finally facing consequences. Layla was being held accountable for enabling him.

But another part of me felt uncomfortable. Like I was witnessing something too private. Too raw.

"Now," Pa Wood turned back to Travis. "You owe someone an apology."

Travis looked up, confused. "Who?"

"Alicia."

My name felt like ice water. Everyone’s attention shifted to me. I sat up straighter, suddenly very aware of being the focus.

"What?" Travis asked. "Why would I—"

"You’ve disgraced her. Humiliated her. Made her the wife of a criminal." Pa Wood’s voice was sharp. "You’ve put her in an impossible position. The least you can do is apologize."

"Why should I apologize to her?" Travis shot to his feet. "This is between me and the company. She has nothing to do with it!"

"She has everything to do with it. She’s your wife. She bears your name. Your shame becomes her shame in the eyes of society."

"That’s not my fault!"

"It’s entirely your fault. Every choice you made led to this moment." Pa Wood’s voice was ice. "And you will apologize to her for dragging her into your mess."

Travis’s face was red with anger and humiliation. "This is bullshit. Complete bullshit."

"Watch your language in my presence."

"I won’t apologize to her. She doesn’t deserve an apology."

"Then you’re removed from all company positions effective immediately. No office. No salary. No authority. Nothing."

Travis paled. "You can’t—"

"I can. And I am. Unless you apologize to Alicia for putting her in this position. For making her complicit in your crimes through marriage."

Layla started crying. Quiet, desperate tears that she tried to hide. "Please, Travis. Just apologize. Don’t let him take everything."

Sasha finally spoke up. "This is ridiculous. Why does she get an apology? She’s not the victim here."

"Sasha, you’ve done enough for one evening," Pa Wood said sharply. "In fact, your little stunt tonight requires its own conversation. We’ll get to that."

Sasha’s face went pale. She’d tried to create a scandal and it had backfired spectacularly. Now she’d have to answer for it.

The room felt like it was holding its breath. Travis looked between Pa Wood and me. I could see the war happening behind his eyes. Pride versus survival. Ego versus self-preservation.

Finally, he spoke through gritted teeth. "I’m sorry."

"For what?" Pa Wood pressed.

"For... for the embarrassment. For the scandal. For making you associated with..." He couldn’t finish. The words physically hurt him to say.

"Accepted," I said quietly. Not because I forgave him. But because this charade needed to end.

Pa Wood nodded. "Good. Now we discuss containment."

"Containment?" Layla asked through her tears.

"How we handle the media. The board. The shareholders. This will require careful management." He looked at each of us in turn. "And it requires absolute unity. No more scandals. No more drama. No more family members trying to destroy each other. Understood?"

His eyes lingered on Sasha when he said that last part. She looked away, her earlier confidence completely gone.

"Understood?" Pa Wood repeated, his voice harder.

We all nodded. Even Travis, though his jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack.

"Good. You’re all dismissed. Except you, Sasha. We need to talk about what you tried to do tonight."

Sasha’s face went even paler. "Grandfather, I was just—"

"Stay."

The rest of us filed out. Travis first, not looking at anyone. Layla following him, still crying. I left last, relieved to escape the suffocating tension of that room.

But as I closed the door, I heard Pa Wood’s voice. Cold. Furious.

"Now, explain to me exactly what you were trying to accomplish tonight."

And I realized Sasha’s night was far from over.