The news hit Alex Charm like a physical blow. He heard it from multiple sources: casual mentions from mutual acquaintances, thinly veiled gossip from industry insiders, and finally, a terse, confirming text from Kane, his security chief, who had seen them together, hand-in-hand, leaving a private dinner.
Alex slammed his fist on his desk, the sound echoing through his pristine penthouse. His perfectly constructed facade of nonchalance shattered, revealing a raw, seething fury. Girlfriend? The word felt like a brand. He had played his hand with Cassandra, thinking he was isolating Snow, weakening Andreas. Instead, he had unwittingly driven them closer, sealing a bond he never imagined possible.
"Girlfriend," he snarled, pacing his office like a caged predator. "After everything! After I showed her the truth, after I brought her Cassandra! He's just… a better puppet master." The thought chafed, burning him. He had orchestrated the dinner, the calculated charm, the subtle undermining. He had wanted to be her savior, her darker, more understanding ally. Instead, she had chosen his rigid, predictable brother.
The public declaration at the gala, the lawsuit, the subtle shift in his father's regard – it all converged into a bitter, undeniable truth: Andreas was winning. And now, he had Snow.
Alex's jaw clenched. This wasn't just about business now. This wasn't even just about family rivalry. This was personal. Deeply, viciously personal. He had wanted Snow, not just as a conquest, but as a symbol of his superiority over Andreas. He had woven a fantasy where she would choose his dangerous allure over his brother's stoic protection. Her rejection was a direct affront to his ego, a humiliation he could not, would not, abide.
He picked up his phone, his fingers trembling with suppressed rage. "Kane," he barked into the receiver, "I want you to dig deeper. Find every vulnerability, every weakness, in Snow White's past that Ravenna missed. And I want to know everything about Andreas. Every secret, every leverage point. No stone left unturned."
His mind raced, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He had lost this round, but the game wasn't over. He would find a way to break them, to expose the fragility of their bond, to prove that his brother's world, and by extension, Andreas himself, could never truly protect her. He would tear down their carefully constructed happiness, even if it meant setting the entire Charm empire, and his own family, on fire. The ring he saw on Snow's finger, though not physical, felt like a brand, and he was determined to melt it down.