The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 86 - eighty six

Chapter Eighty-Six

Malachi’s POV

After watching Alicia and Travis dance, I needed a distraction. Something to keep me from walking onto that dance floor and dragging her away from him. The jealousy burning through me was irrational but consuming.

Sophie found me near the refreshments table, tugging on my sleeve.

"Malachi! Will you dance with me?" She was wearing a pretty purple dress, her hair done up with little flowers woven through it. She looked so young. So innocent compared to the darkness that surrounded this family.

"I don’t dance, Sophie."

"Please? Everyone else is dancing and Alicia’s busy with Travis. Just one dance?" Her eyes were wide and hopeful.

The hope in her expression made it impossible to refuse. "Fine. One dance."

Her face lit up like I’d promised her the world. She grabbed my hand with both of hers and pulled me toward the dance floor where other couples were now joining in. The formal waltz had ended, replaced by something more upbeat and casual.

I let Sophie stand on my feet like my father had done with me when I was very young, back when he still pretended to care about being a father. We moved around awkwardly, her giggling the entire time as I carefully maneuvered us through the crowd.

"You’re actually a good dancer," she said, looking up at me.

"I’m letting you stand on my feet. That’s not dancing."

"Still counts." She grinned. "Did your dad teach you this?"

"Something like that."

"Will you teach me properly someday? Like real ballroom dancing?"

I looked down at this child who’d seen too much hardship but still maintained her optimism. "If you want."

"I do! Alicia tried to teach me once but we just ended up laughing too much."

When the song ended, we moved off the dance floor. Sophie was beaming, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Thank you! That was so much fun!"

"You’re welcome."

"You know," she said more quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening, "Alicia smiles more when you’re around. Like really smiles, not the fake ones she does for other people. I like that."

The observation hit me harder than it should have. "Does she?"

"Yeah. She lights up. It’s nice to see her happy."

Before I could respond to that, before I could process what it meant that even Sophie had noticed, she spotted some other children near the dessert table and ran off to join them.

I watched her go, that protective instinct flaring up again. She was a good kid. Too good for this family. She deserved better than the chaos and dysfunction the Blackwoods brought to everything they touched.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Rose.

I stepped away from the crowd, finding a quieter corner near one of the tall windows. "What do you have?"

"Still nothing from Zhao’s side. Complete radio silence. It’s been hours now and there’s not a single trace of movement."

"That’s not normal." I kept my voice low, scanning the room for anyone who might be listening.

"No. It’s definitely not. Either he’s planning something massive or he’s already moved and we just don’t know it yet. Both options are bad."

I surveyed the ballroom more carefully now, looking for anything out of place. Any faces that didn’t belong. Any signs of threat. Everything seemed normal on the surface. Guests mingling and laughing. Music playing softly. Servers moving through with champagne. No obvious danger.

But my instincts were screaming that something was wrong.

"And Mario?" I asked, though I already knew the answer wouldn’t be good.

"That’s the other thing. Mario’s completely absent from the event. He’s not sick according to the family. Not on a business trip. Not dealing with an emergency. Just not there."

My jaw tightened. "When did he leave?"

"That’s just it. He never showed up. He was supposed to be here, confirmed his attendance yesterday, but no one’s seen him all day. His phone goes straight to voicemail."

This was wrong. All of it wrong. Zhao Wei going completely silent on a night when he should be making his move. Mario disappearing without explanation on the night of the biggest family event of the year.

These things didn’t happen by coincidence.

"Double the security," I said. "I want eyes on every entrance, every exit. Background checks on all the staff. And find Mario. I don’t care what it takes."

"Already done on the security. Working on locating Mario now. But Malachi, I really think something’s about to happen. My gut’s telling me this silence is the calm before the storm."

"Keep your eyes open. Call me immediately if anything changes. Anything at all."

I ended the call and slipped my phone back into my pocket. The uneasy feeling hadn’t left. If anything, it had gotten stronger.

I made my way back toward the main area just as Pa Wood was standing up, preparing to make a speech. Guests were turning their attention to the front of the room, conversations quieting down.

I found a spot near the edge where I could see both Pa Wood and Alicia. Sophie had somehow found her way back to me and plopped down in the chair next to mine.

"Speech time," she whispered. "These are always so boring."

"Then why are you sitting here?"

"Because you’re here and you’re not boring." She kicked her legs, too short to reach the ground from the chair. "Do you think it’ll be long?"

"Probably."

She sighed dramatically but settled in to listen anyway.

Pa Wood’s speech started predictably. Company history. Fifty years of success. The importance of family legacy. Market expansion. Future growth. I’d heard variations of this speech my entire life. Different occasions, same basic content.

But then his tone shifted. Became more personal and warm in a way Pa Wood rarely was in public.

"I also want to take a moment to appreciate someone special," he said, his eyes finding Alicia in the crowd. "Alicia has been a blessing to this family. She’s shown grace under pressure. Strength in difficult circumstances. And unwavering dedication to those she loves."

I watched her face as Pa Wood praised her. Saw the surprise flash across her features. The emotion that made her eyes glisten. The way her hand instinctively went to her throat, to the necklace I’d given her, like it was anchoring her through this unexpected recognition.

She deserved every word. Deserved far more recognition and appreciation than this family had ever given her.

"She’s raised her sister while navigating our complicated family dynamics," Pa Wood continued. "She’s been patient and kind when she had every reason not to be. And she’s made this house feel more like a home than it has in years. To Alicia, thank you for everything you do."

"To Alicia!" the crowd echoed, raising their glasses in unison.

When Pa Wood finished, people applauded warmly. Travis played the supportive husband, squeezing her hand and kissing her cheek for the cameras.

I wanted to break every finger that touched her.

"That was nice," Sophie whispered. "Alicia deserves people saying nice things about her."

"She does."

Then Sasha stood up. The satisfaction on her face immediately put me on alert.

"I’d also like to make a speech," she announced, her voice carrying across the now-quiet room.

Something about her tone made my instincts flare. This wasn’t planned. I could tell by the way Layla’s head snapped up, confusion written across her face. Pa Wood frowned, clearly not expecting this.

"Sasha, this isn’t the time—" Layla started, half rising from her seat.

"It’ll just take a moment," Sasha said, her smile too sharp. Too satisfied. Like a cat that had caught a mouse and was playing with it before the kill.

Then phones started buzzing. All around the room. A wave of notifications that spread through the crowd like wildfire.

People pulled out their phones. Confused murmurs grew louder, spreading from table to table. Faces changed from confusion to shock to scandal in rapid succession.

I reached for my phone but it was silent. No notifications. No messages. Nothing.

But everyone else’s phones were going off. Constantly. Message after message flooding in.

"What’s happening?" Sophie asked, looking around at all the adults suddenly focused on their screens.

"I don’t know."

Guests were opening whatever had been sent. Their expressions shifting. Gasps and whispers spreading through the ballroom like poison.

Then Sasha spoke again, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

"I think everyone can see now what kind of person Alicia really is," she said, gesturing to the room full of shocked faces. "A thief. Stealing what doesn’t belong to her."

My blood ran cold. What the hell had she sent?

But before the words could fully sink in, before Sasha could continue her attack, someone from the crowd spoke up.

"Actually," a man’s voice called out, "I think we can see who the real thief is."

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room. People were looking at their phones again, but now with different expressions. Anger. Disgust.

But not directed at Alicia.

"These financial records," another voice said. "Travis has been embezzling from the company?"

"Gambling debts hidden in false expense reports," someone else added.

"Using company funds for personal expenditures."

The accusations kept coming. Each one about Travis, not Alicia. Each one backed by whatever evidence had been sent to everyone’s phones.

Everyone except mine.

I felt a smile tugging at my lips. A dark, satisfied smile.

Maurice had done his job perfectly. The leak I’d ordered about Travis’s financial misdeeds had gone out at exactly the right moment.

What’s a party without a big gift?

Sasha’s face had gone pale. This wasn’t what she’d planned. Whatever she’d tried to expose about Alicia had been completely overshadowed.

Travis was standing now, red-faced and stammering. "That’s not—I can explain—"

But no one was listening to him. The evidence was too damning. Too detailed. Too public.

Pa Wood’s expression was thunderous. Layla looked like she might faint. The board members in attendance were already gathering, speaking in urgent whispers about damage control.

And Sasha stood frozen, her triumph turned to ash.

I leaned back in my chair, that smirk still playing at my lips. This wasn’t how I’d planned to destroy Travis. But watching it unfold, watching him crumble in front of everyone while Alicia stood there untouched by Sasha’s attempted sabotage, was deeply satisfying.

"Malachi?" Sophie whispered. "What’s happening?"

"Drama," I said simply. "Just drama."

But it was so much more than that. It was the beginning of the end for Travis. The first domino falling in a chain I’d carefully set up.

And I was just getting started.