My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}

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3rd Person POV

He took a step closer, ignoring how Adrien continued to struggle against Carlby’s hold, the younger man’s face flushed with anger and exertion. Keith’s tone turned almost pleading, laced with the sharp edge of justification.

"Get over it, Adrien. Move on, the evidence is gone...smashed under my heel like the worthless recording it was. A dying criminal’s ramblings against a respected businessman? No one will believe you.... Especially not when they see how violently you attacked your own father. I’ve escaped the law for years because I know how this world works. Judges, lawyers, favors owed in high places, I’ll sweep this under the carpet just like I’ve dealt with every inconvenience before. You think a tantrum and a broken phone can take me down? You’re just a kid playing at justice."

Adrien’s struggles ramped up, twisting in Carlby’s grip as he yelled,

"You’re a monster! A cold-blooded goddamn killer hiding behind your suits and charities! And you—" He jerked his head toward Carlby, eyes blazing with accusation. "You helped him! Stood by while he murdered my mother, while he silenced Logan. How many more? How deep does this rot go?!"

Carlby’s grip tightened, his voice a steady murmur meant to calm Adrien, but it did nothing to quell the fire in his chest. "Easy now, lad. This isn’t the way."

But Adrien wasn’t listening. The betrayal cut deeper than any physical blow, the realization crashing over him: Helen, Noah’s mother, was entangled in the affair; Carlby, the loyal fixer; even the carefully constructed family facade had hidden monsters beneath.

"I was so stupid," he gasped between labored breaths, still fighting against the arms that bound him. "Blind to it all—right under my nose. My own father... a murderer. And the rest of you, complicit. How could I not see it?!"

Keith’s mocking chuckle broke the tension, low at first but building into something sharper as he paced a slow circle around the desk, crunching glass underfoot.