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Mated To My Ex's Ruthless Brother

Chapter 6 6

Word Count: 1051 | Released on: 06/01/2026

ed aggressively, dancing across th

Buzz

Liam's hand shaking her sh

g a strawberry with surgical precision, his eyes fixed on

t and swiped t

void of any apology. "Where are you? I had Marcus call

in her stomach. "I... I co

sy in his tone wasn't romantic; it was territor

e paused, his knife hovering over the plate.

roblem. A big one. The press got wind of the arr

bail, Liam.

d. "There are rumors. We need to kill th

phone tighter.

ng your honor. That the fight was

ren't defending me. You were def

rents will cut me off if they find out I'm seeing her ag

t... what?

His voice shifted, becoming wheedling, manipulative. "Remember w

milk onto the counter. The

Liam stopp

yes were cold, hard, furious. He shook his head o

n his eyes, she saw a s

red. "I need to

ed. "I'm sending the draft to your ema

ne away from her e

hung

in the kitch

e face down. She

Julian said. His voi

him. I lied to pro

rected. "Why? Afraid he'll find out you sp

red. "I just did

on. "He's using you to hide his trashy girlfriend so h

's company... we have a deal pending with Sterling Corp. If I

n softened from anger to something resembling pity. "The

l, i

silence. The food tasted

Julian stood up. "I'm

l closet that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. He pulled out a heav

Your coat is ruined. This was

ell enough. She shoved her hands into the pockets. Her fingers brushed against

ugged, already turning toward t

h. The sharp peppermint burn

ia was quiet. The city was digging itself out of

curb of her dorm, Julian didn'

his phone. "QR

ward her. It was a Co

ucting messages. Liam can't subpoena thes

n pulled out her p

ped up. A black

ht ahead through the windshield. "If he pushes you

her throat. "Why

eyes searched hers for a s

ne has to," he

ks clic

ewalk. She watched the black Maybac

Her roommate, Sarah, was still

desk and open

l from "St

: Draft Stateme

The headline

HILDHOOD SWEETHEART IN

am Sterling, protecting his

ck. Physica

s. He had already written the script. A

Chapter End

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Mated To My Ex's Ruthless Brother

Xiao Hong Mao Modern

“At 3:12 AM, a call from the NYPD shattered the silence of my dorm. My childhood sweetheart and the city's golden heir, Liam Sterling, was in custody and needed me to bail him out. I rushed to the precinct, trembling as I swiped my father's emergency credit card for five thousand dollars, only to watch Liam walk out and head straight for another woman. He had landed in a cell because he'd started a brawl to protect Jade-a girl with pink hair and a jagged attitude-while I was just the "best friend" he called to clean up his mess. In the backseat of the cab I paid for, I watched the man I loved pull her into his lap, treating me like an invisible chauffeur. When I finally demanded the truth, he didn't apologize; he reminded me that our families were tied by a multi-million dollar merger and that I was "like a sister" to him. My own mother echoed his coldness, telling me to stop being dramatic because our family was secretly bankrupt and we needed the Sterling money to survive. I spent years being his "good girl," even recording a fake video for the press claiming he was a hero who fought to defend my honor. But the illusion shattered when I saw the photos of him with Jade on my birthday-the same night he told me he was working late to secure our future. "I love you, Zoe. Like I love my dog. You're loyal, but you're boring." I realized then that I wasn't his partner; I was his shield. He used the trauma of the day he "saved" my life to keep me in his debt, never realizing that the chains of gratitude had finally snapped. As the Sterling empire began to crumble under a sudden leak of scandals, I didn't run back to Liam. Instead, I looked at the encrypted message from his dangerous, outcast brother, Julian, who had been waiting in the shadows. He didn't just offer me a way out; he offered to buy my family's debt and claim me as the collateral.”