Genius Kids‘ Scheme: Claiming Daddy’s Billionaire Empire
Chapter 123
Irene blinked at her phone screen, surprised by the name attached to the message. Brandon. Of all people, she hadn’t expected her racing champion brother to check in on her about Anna.
“Wasn’t expecting that,” she murmured, finger hovering over the screen. After a moment, she typed a quick response and hit send before she could overthink it.
In his hospital room across town, Brandon sat propped up in bed, phone clutched in his hand. The screen displayed the message he’d sent to Irene minutes ago.
He stared intently at the device, checking it repeatedly. Each time the screen went dark, he immediately tapped it back to life, eyes never leaving the conversation thread.
“Do you think she’ll respond?” he asked, not looking up.
Henry glanced over from where he was arranging,medication bottles on the bedside table. “Give her time. After the day she’s had, she might not even see it until morning.”
“She’ll see it,” Brandon said with unexpected certainty. “Irene doesn’t miss details.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you’ve known her for years instead of weeks.”
Brandon’s eyes finally left the screen as he looked up. “Weird, right? Sometimes it feels like I’ve always known her. Like there’s this… connection that was just waiting to be discovered.”
The screen lit up with a notification. Brandon nearly dropped the phone in his haste to check it.
His breath caught as he opened the new message.
The smile that broke across his face transformed him completely. Gone was the brooding, injured racing champion, replaced by something Henry had rarely seen pure, unfiltered joy.
–
“She responded!” Brandon announced, his voice cracking with excitement. He thrust the phone toward Henry, hand trembling slightly. “Look!”
“Huh,” was all he said, giving Brandon a puzzled look.
“What?” Brandon asked, catching Henry’s expression.
Henry shrugged, pointing the text. “Nothing. Just didn’t expect you to be this excited over ‘got it, thanks.“”
“It’s not what she said,” Brandon explained, his voice softening. “It’s that she bothered to respond at all. You don’t understand what she’s been through with this family.”
Henry handed the phone back, watching his boss with newfound curiosity. “I’ve never seen you this worked up over a text message. Not even when that Italian supermodel was blowing up your phone.
Brandon cradled the device like it contained something precious. “This is different,” he said quietly. “This is family. Real family – not the performing monkeys we grew up with.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those-”
The door to Brandon’s room suddenly swung open. Nathan stood in the doorway, overnight bag in hand, looking unusually disheveled.
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“I’m staying here tonight,” he announced.
Brandon’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s this? Not keeping vigil at your sister’s bedside? He put deliberate emphasis on ‘sister, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Don’t start, Brandon, Nathan warned, dropping his bag by the wall She’s your sister too. We all grew up together.”
“Half of that sentence is a lie,” Brandon replied, his tone hardening. Need I remind you which girl is actually our blood relative?
“What’s gotten into you?” Nathan demanded. “You’ve barely even met Irene. What kind of spell has she cast on you to earn this blind loyalty?”
“Spell?” Brandon laughed without humor. “Is that what we’re calling basic human decency now? What I don’t understand is why you dislike her so much. Do you honestly believe she deliberately tried to break up someone else’s engagement?”
Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it again.
“You really think she wants Richard back?” Brandon pressed. “A woman living in Emerald Garden who has Adam’s attention would be pining after that spineless idiot? With her situation now, why would she need to chase after an ex?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Where were you when our parents threw her out? Where was your concern when she spent years raising those kids alone? She comes back, follows your rules about the engagement, and she’s still the villain in your story?”
“It’s not that simple-” Nathan began.
“What’s not simple?” Brandon cut in, his voice rising. “Grandfather loves his granddaughter and wants to give her some shares, and suddenly she’s ambitious and calculating? Have you ever stopped to think about why Irene keeps her distance from this family?”
“She grew up working in a fast–food joint because our parents were careless enough to bring home the wrong baby,” Brandon continued, his anger building. “For twenty years, Anna got everything that should have been Irene’s. If anyone should be grateful here, it’s Anna!”
He locked eyes with his older brother. “I always thought you were the smart one, Nathan. The reasonable one. But you’re just as blind as the rest of them.”
A heavy silence fell between them. Nathan’s face had grown increasingly stony.
“I see I’m not welcome here,” he finally said, voice flat with exhaustion.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out, letting the door swing shut behind him.
Henry waited until Nathan’s footsteps faded before approaching. “Maybe dial it back a notch? Anger isn’t great for recovery.”
Brandon slumped against his pillows. “I know,” he admitted. “But someone needs to speak up for her.”
“Family’s complicated,” Henry said. “Get some rest. It’ll look different in the morning.”
In the dimly lit hallway, Nathan’s mind raced with Brandon’s accusations as he walked slowly toward Anna’s room. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother had made several valid points.
Irene had looked at. hard with obvious disdain during their last meeting, not longing. She’d voluntarily returned to sign the cancellation.
“If she wanted him back, why would she do that?” he muttered to himself.
He recalled how Irene had handled herself at the hospital–professional, composed, and completely uninterested in Richard. And the
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Chapter 123
connections she’d made since returning–especially with Adam–put her in a different league entirely. Adam’s company towered over the Veins business empire.
Nathan frowned, thinking about the stock transfers Grandfather had mentioned. If Irene really were the calculating gold–digger Anna had described, wouldn’t she have pushed for more than just reconciliation with the family? Wouldn’t she have made demands or tried to capitalize on her position immediately?
Every interaction he’d observed showed a woman who seemed more interested in her children’s welfare than in family politics or business advantages.
The pieces didn’t fit Anna’s story.
Lost in these thoughts, Nathan found himself standing at the door to Anna’s hospital room.
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