enjoyebooks Chapter 19: The Family Showdown
Chapter 19: The Family Showdown
The Brayton estate loomed ahead, colder and more intimidating than ever.
Ivy stood outside the massive double doors, nerves buzzing under her skin.
Alec straightened his tie beside her, his presence calm, collected, as if this were just another business meeting.
“Relax,” he murmured, his hand brushing against hers—not holding it, just close enough to steady her.
Ivy let out a sharp breath. “Easy for you to say. You’re not about to be grilled by the scariest man in the universe.”
Alec smirked. “You’re meeting my grandfather, not the devil.”
Same thing, she thought.
Henry Brayton’s office was a throne room disguised as a study.
Massive bookshelves, dark wood, an enormous desk that probably cost more than her entire apartment.
And Henry himself—larger than life, sharp-eyed, radiating authority.
He watched Ivy with quiet calculation, like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
“Welcome,” he said, voice deep and steady. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ivy.”
Ivy forced a polite smile, her palms damp. “I hope some of it was good.”
Henry didn’t smile back.
Alec took over, his voice smooth, polished, navigating the conversation like a well-rehearsed script. Ivy tried to keep up, answering Henry’s piercing questions, sticking to the backstory Alec had drilled into her.
Henry wasn’t easily convinced.
But he wasn’t skeptical either.
Not yet.
Then the doors swung open.
Ivy’s stomach plummeted as Callum, Brandon, and Genevieve strode in, their presence immediately suffocating.
Henry didn’t look surprised. In fact, he seemed pleased.
“Good,” he said smoothly. “I think the whole family should join us. There are some rumors to address.”
Ivy froze.
Henry’s gaze swept across the room, sharp as a blade.
His eyes landed on Callum.
“Callum,” he said, tone unreadable. “Is it true you and Ivy were… close?”
Silence.
Ivy’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Callum’s gray eyes locked onto hers.
After a long pause, he shook his head. “No,” he said flatly.
But his voice carried something else.
Something she couldn’t place.
Henry barely reacted before turning to Brandon and Genevieve.
They exchanged a glance before Brandon pulled out his phone. A slow, smug grin spread across his face.
“We have proof,” Brandon said, tapping the screen. “Ivy and Alec have been lying. They didn’t even know each other before she moved here.”
Ivy went cold.
Genevieve crossed her arms, her smile razor-sharp. “Care to explain that, Ivy?”
Henry’s expression darkened as his attention snapped back to Alec and Ivy.
“Well?” he said, voice dangerously calm.
“What do you have to say for yourselves?”
Diary Entry:
Date: September 20th
Time: 2:00 AM
Dear Diary,
Meeting Henry Brayton was like stepping into a lion’s den.
He’s larger than life, sharp and impossible to fool.
At first, it seemed like things were going well. But then everyone else showed up—Callum, Brandon, Genevieve.
And suddenly, it wasn’t just a meeting.
It was an ambush.
They’re trying to ruin us.
And now, everything is hanging by a thread.
-Ivy