Chapter 160: Elegantly Wrapped Box
The echo of Brett’s angry departure still hung in the air of Sutton’s opulent apartment. The silence that followed was thick with tension, a stark contrast to the volatile energy that had just filled the room. Her shaky knees gave way and she slid down the wall where Brett had slammed her, a slight ache throbbing in her throat, but her expression remained resolute. She felt absolutely no remorse for the lies she had told, no guilt for the manipulation she had employed. Only a burning frustration that her carefully crafted plan had begun to unravel.
Her mind drifted back to the past, a time of reckless abandon and calculated moves. She remembered the heady thrill of juggling three very and mostly inexperienced men, all younger than her, all vying for her attention, all unknowingly connected through her.
Levi, with his quiet intensity and undeniable charm. He had easily been her first choice, she had envisioned a life where she would be by his side ruling the world; Chris, with his steady loyalty and unwavering devotion had been like a puppy, constantly on her heels and desperate for attention. She had felt high off his adoration and had been unable to resist playing with and breaking his heart.
And Brett, Brett with his burning ambition and insatiable desire had been the oldest of the boys and her real favorite. His roughness and the callous way he treated her had been like an aphrodisiac, Sutton rarely met boys who did not instantly fall in love with her, so Brett had been a challenge. Pity he was just an illegitimate son, he would have been the perfect one for her.
She recalled the clandestine meetings, the whispered promises, the carefully constructed narratives that had kept her secret safe for so long. She had been young, beautiful, ambitious, and determined to secure her future, and she had seen these men as pawns in her game, tools to be used and discarded as needed.
A faint smile played on her lips as she remembered the power she had wielded, the control she had exerted over their lives, the thrill of playing with them all without their knowledge. She had felt no guilt, no moral conflict. She had simply been doing what she needed to do to survive, to thrive in a world that often favored men over women.
Her thoughts drifted to Brandon, her son. He had been the ultimate prize, the culmination of her carefully laid plans. She had chosen Levi as the father, not out of love, but out of calculation. Levi was the legitimate heir, the one who would inherit the Van Doren fortune. By attaching Brandon to him, she had ensured her son’s future, securing his place in the upper echelons of society.
But now, her carefully constructed world was crumbling. Levi had discovered the truth, Brett’s carefully laid plans had been exposed, and her carefully crafted narrative was falling apart.
A wave of anger washed over her, replacing the fleeting moment of nostalgic satisfaction. She had come so close. She had been on the verge of achieving everything that she had ever wanted. But now, it was all slipping through her fingers.