While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

The restaurant was called Red Road.

It was one of those places where the menus had no prices, the waiters wore white gloves, and the wine list was thicker than most novels. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls. The tables were spaced so far apart that you could have a private conversation without worrying about being overheard.

Dorian sat in a leather chair facing the window. The city sprawled below him, a carpet of lights and shadows. His glass of red wine was half-empty. His steak was untouched.

Across from him, Wesley Wen swirled his own glass. He was a lean man in his forties, with sharp features and sharper eyes. His suit was bespoke. His watch was vintage. His smile was the kind that never quite reached his eyes.

"Dorian," Wesley said. "You’re not eating."

"Not hungry."

"You’re never hungry. It’s one of your more annoying qualities."

Dorian said nothing.

Wesley set down his glass. He leaned back in his chair. His eyes studied Dorian’s face.

"I heard you got married."

Dorian’s jaw tightened. "News travels fast."

"News travels at the speed of money. And you have more money than most countries." Wesley picked up his fork. He cut a piece of steak. He chewed slowly. Swallowed. "The question is why."

"Why what?"

"Why the sudden marriage? Why now? Why to a woman no one has ever heard of?"

Dorian looked out the window. The lights of the city blurred. He thought about Veyra. About the way she had stood in the pizza shop with an empty gun from the video Li Wei sent to him. About the way she had faced down Xie Heng without flinching.

He did not answer.

Wesley set down his fork. He leaned forward. His voice dropped.

"Let me guess," he said. "Councilor Whitmore was putting pressure on you. The marriage alliance. His daughter."

Dorian’s expression did not change.

"You needed a way out," Wesley continued. "So you found a woman. Got her pregnant. Married her quickly. Now Whitmore can’t touch you. His daughter can’t marry a man who’s already married and expecting a child."

He smiled. It was a thin smile. Appreciative.

"Brilliant move," Wesley said. "Using the pregnancy to silence him. He can’t complain without looking like he’s trying to break up a family. And during an election year? Political suicide."

Dorian picked up his wine glass. He took a slow sip.

"You give me too much credit," he said.

"Do I?" Wesley tilted his head. "Then explain it to me. Why would Dorian Thorne, cold, calculating, commitment-phobic Dorian Thorne, suddenly marry an ordinary woman?"

Dorian set down his glass. He looked at Wesley.

"She’s not ordinary."

Wesley’s eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

"She’s... interesting."

Wesley laughed. It was a genuine laugh. Surprised.

"Interesting," he repeated. "You married a woman because she’s interesting. That’s the first time I’ve heard you say that about anyone."

Dorian did not respond.

Wesley picked up his wine glass. He took a sip. His eyes were still on Dorian’s face.

"I’m curious now," Wesley said. "What makes her so interesting?"

Dorian reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out his phone. Leon Wei had sent him a video an hour ago. He had not watched everything all yet. He had been saving it. Waiting for the right moment.

He pressed play.

The video was shaky at first. Leon Wei’s phone camera had been recording from across the street. The pizza shop window was visible. The red awning. The crooked sign.

Then the door burst open.

Dorian watched as Xander Hale and his men stormed in. Watched as they smashed chairs and overturned tables. Watched as Aunt Clark was slapped.

His jaw tightened.

Then Veyra appeared on the screen.

She was moving against the crowd. Everyone else was running out. She was walking in. Her hand was in her bag.

Dorian leaned forward.

The video showed her pull out the Nightblade. Showed her press it against Xander Hale’s head. Showed her face that was very calm, focused and unafraid.

Wesley leaned over. He looked at the screen.

"Who is that?" he asked.

Dorian did not answer. He was watching Veyra.

The video continued.

Veyra’s voice was quiet, but the phone’s microphone picked it up. "Don’t move." "Tell your men to stop." "Last chance."

Wesley watched with growing interest.

He saw Veyra tie up the thugs. Saw her gag them with duct tape. Saw her tie Xander Hale to the pillar. Saw her walk out of the shop like she had just finished grocery shopping.

Then she turned back. She pulled the slide back on the gun. Empty chamber. She ejected the magazine. Empty.

"The gun," she said, "is empty."

Wesley laughed out loud.

"She bluffed them," he said. "With an empty gun. That’s... that’s remarkable."

Dorian said nothing. But the corner of his mouth twitched.

Wesley watched the rest of the video. Veyra walking out. The roller shutter closing. Xander Hale screaming into his gag.

The video ended.

Wesley leaned back in his chair. He looked at Dorian. His eyes were bright.

"That woman," Wesley said. "She’s talented. Calm under pressure. Quick thinking. Good with people."

He paused.

"I want her."

Dorian’s eyes shifted to him and it was cold.

"She works for me."

"No, she doesn’t. She’s your wife. That’s different." Wesley smiled. "I could use someone like her. My organization needs fresh blood. People who don’t freeze in a crisis."

"She’s not for sale."

"I’m not trying to buy her. I’m trying to recruit her." Wesley leaned forward. "Let me talk to her. Just one conversation. If she says no, I’ll drop it."

Dorian set down his wine glass. His voice was quiet.

"She’s Mrs. Thorne. She’s not going to work for you."

Wesley stared at him. Then he laughed again.

"Mrs. Thorne," he repeated. "You’ve already given her the family name. You’re not just using her as a shield, are you?"

Dorian did not answer.

Wesley picked up his phone. He replayed the video. Watched Veyra press the gun to Xander Hale’s head. Watched her smile when she revealed the gun was empty.

"She’s got nerve," Wesley said. "Most people would have run. Most people would have hidden in the back and waited for the police. But she walked right into the middle of it."

He set the phone down.

"Where did you find her?"

"She found me."

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "She found you?"

"It’s a long story."

"I have time."

Dorian shook his head. "Another time."

Wesley studied his face. The hard jaw. The tight lips. The way his eyes kept drifting back to the phone screen.

"You’re different," Wesley said.

Dorian looked at him. "Different how?"

"Different. Softer. I’ve known you for fifteen years. I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her."

Dorian’s jaw tightened. "You’re imagining things."

"Am I?" Wesley leaned forward. His voice dropped. "You wouldn’t... fall in love with her, would you?"

The words hung in the air.

Dorian did not answer.

He looked out the window. The city lights blurred. He thought about Veyra. About her smile. About the way she had said "I love you" on the phone, even though it was just an act.

About the way his heart had skipped when he heard it.

He picked up his wine glass. He took a long sip.

Wesley watched him and his smile widened.