Wilde Brothers

by Bella Court

  "Not at first, no. But when I found out…"

  "You slept with her anyways?" John bit out. "Why? Why?" Connor's temper flared, but before he could open his mouth, John forged ahead. "Then what? Is that how long you two have been together?"

  Kristen and Connor looked at each other. How to explain? How could they describe the tempestuous whirlwind that had been their status up until now?

  "No, we didn't officially start dating until about two weeks ago. From the time of your wedding till then, we were just…in the motions." Connor sounded as relaxed and serene as could be, and that only served to add to John's ire.

  John's head was awhirl. He didn't know where to start. Even now, the way they would look at each other knowingly made his gut burn low.

  "Were you ever planning to tell me this?" John intoned.

  "Eventually,” Connor said tightly.

  "I can't believe this. And the reason why you missed lunch that time, and the reason why you've been so distant all this time. It was for her?" Indignation could not be more evident in his voice, and it was what broke Kristen's promise to herself that she wouldn't add fuel to the fire.

  "Oh, please, keep talking about me like I'm not right fucking here. I just love it, John. As usual, all you can think about is yourself." The light of battle was all too clear in her eyes. After all this time of avoiding him, she was ready. Ready to let loose all the betrayal and emotion she had bottled within herself for everyone's sake but her own.

  John looked at Kristen with distaste, and she had to bite hard on her tongue to keep from saying more.

  "Look John, is that what this is all about? I'm sorry I missed lunch. I didn't realize it meant so much to you, if I had known…" Connor tried to infuse his voice with as much remorse as he could muster, but it came out sounding neutral and flat.

  "You probably still wouldn't have come!" John exploded. "It doesn't matter to you that we're brothers! You never tell me a fucking thing. You…you couldn't even have the decency to tell me that you were dating my ex-fiancée."

  "What right, do you have to tell me or Connor who to date?" Kristen hissed.

  "I could care less about you, Kristen. What I care about is the fact that my own brother, doesn't find something wrong with dating someone I was once engaged to,” John said through gritted teeth.

  "I don't regret anything I've done, John. Except that I know I haven't been the best brother these past few weeks."

  "Try a fucking lifetime,” John replied coldly, while Connor's eyes narrowed and his arms were clenched tightly on the arm rests. "You never gave a shit about me or Melissa."

  "That's not true," Connor said angrily, his voice shaking for the first time. "I'm not like you, John. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. I care more than you think."

  "You've got a real great way of showing it!" John sneered. "All I ever do is try to get to know you and all you do is push me away. Hell, do you realize that you talk to Reece more than you talk to me?" John sounded incredibly bitter, and he was shaking his head. Unspoken was that Connor probably spoke to Kristen more, as well.

  "You think it's easy for me to open up? After dad died? I'm not the perfect man you think I am, John! I make mistakes, I have my issues, but all you want to see is the perfect older brother who will still coddle you like when we were kids."

  "You seem to be pretty okay with opening up to Kristen,” John said with disgust.

  "She sees me as who I am, not who she wants me to be,” Connor said so harshly, that John grimaced.

  "Have you ever thought that maybe she sees me in you?" John scoffed cruelly.

  A flash of pain went over Connor's remarkable gray eyes, and Kristen's gut wrenched at the fleeting look of hurt in his eyes. That only made her loathe John more, not only for hurting her but for hurting Connor for no other reason but his own malicious intent.

  "I don't see anything of you in Connor, John. Thank, God. I don't think I could handle another cheating scumbag,” she replied tartly, and by the way John's eyes flashed, she knew she hurt him with that one.

  "I don't even want to look at you, Kristen. You make me sick to my stomach. You really have no shame, do you? Going after my brother."

  Kristen literally laughed aloud at that one. "Going after my best friend the day of our wedding. Who's the despicable one here?"

  "You were just like Connor. Neither of you talked. Neither of you opened up. How is it my fucking fault when all I ever tried to do is to get closer to the two of you?" John fumed. He returned his attention back to Connor. "We're brothers, but that doesn't mean shit to you. I'm nothing more than the business partner you wish you could do away with."

  Connor was struck with a loss for words, every single word John was saying ate away at Connor, making him feel terrible. The truth is, ever since their father passed away, Connor had to take the reins in the family, and quite simply, such pressure at such a young age made Connor push away everyone he loved. While it seemed like Connor was beginning to lose steam, John was just getting started.

  "You know what? Connor has already said it. He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve. And there is nothing wrong with that. So why don't you lay off of him? He's not a bad person, and he's not a bad brother. He's human. Not all of us are blessed with the lucky life you lead, John." Kristen took up the reins, her eyes cold.

  "You don't know a damn thing, Kristen," John hissed. It was a slap to his face to realize that Kristen knew more about his brother than he did. Worse, that she understood and was okay with it.

  "Maybe not. But I know enough about Connor to know that if you're expecting him to change, get over it. That's all you ever do John, is expect people to change for you. Change to be exactly like you. Open and sensitive and completely spineless,” Kristen said maliciously.

  "As oppose to the heartless bitch that you are?" John scoffed.

  "I wonder why it is that I am the heartless bitch you call me," Kristen sneered, her eyes daring him to say more.

  "Oh don't play that card with me, you were one before I left you for Melissa,” John said coldly. His anger and hurt gave him fuel to be crueler than he would normally have been. It drove him to say words that he knew he didn't mean, but merely so that he could wound and cut.

  Kristen drew in a quick intake of breath, and she instantly regretted it. From the disgusting sneer on his lips, she could tell he knew his words had drawn blood. She cursed her moment of weakness, knowing he would hold it against her. If there was one person she never wanted to appear vulnerable in front of ever again, it was John.

  "John, you have a problem with me, you take it up with me. Don't take it out on her, you bastard." Connor had finally regained his voice, and he had risen to his feet.

  But it was too late, John had his eyes focused solely on Kristen, intent on hurting her further. She was his target, the object to vent out his extreme anger and frustration.

  "I bet you just had a fucking riot laughing at me behind my back while you were screwing my brother, weren't you?"

  It was a blow Kristen hadn't been expecting, and she felt like a fool for not expecting it earlier. She sucked in a breath, surprised that the comment hurt as much as it did. But it was not a blow that she was going to take sitting down.

  "Don't you fucking dare talk to her like that," Connor said through gritted teeth, his hands clenched over the armrests of his chair, his knuckles blindingly white.

  John glared at his brother, but was cut off by Kristen, "Oh, John, you give yourself way too much credit. Why would I waste my time laughing at you when I could be doing so many other things with Connor?"

  "Was that what you were doing the night of my wedding then, Kristen? Opening your legs wide? Pining for me, so you had to go for Connor?"

  Connor lunged out of his chair for his brother, but Kristen slammed herself in the way, pushing him back. That was low, and John knew it. He hit the nail right on the head. After all, the original reason why Kristen and Connor had slept together at all was the fact that Kristen need
ed someone to get her mind off of John's nuptial happiness.

  John's eyes widened when he saw his brother launch himself at him, and he took several cautious steps back. The fact that his brother would willingly punch him over Kristen made him utter words he knew he never should have said.

  "You slut."

  Silence followed that statement, and it hung in the air like an awful plague. As soon as he said it, a stricken look crossed his face, as if he had never truly meant to say it at all.

  John Wilde went too far.

  Kristen turned an ashy pale, but her eyes burned with fury and vengeance. She was absolutely livid. Connor's eyes darkened dangerously, and he made another move towards his brother, but Kristen's gentle hand on his chest, held him back. Silently, he understood that this was something she wanted to deal with on her own.

  "I-I…God, I didn't mean that, Kristen. I'm sorry, I just…" His voice trailed off uselessly, as he realized that nothing could take back what he just said.

  "I am not a slut." John hung his head in shame. Kristen took a deep breath, her eyes absolutely burning. The very words scorched her. The hypocrisy of it all. "You broke me into pieces. I am putting myself back together. You don't have the right to call me a slut considering you're the little bitch who left me at the altar to be with my best friend."

  Her eyes burned with magnificent fury, and John felt himself drawing back from the raw waves of energy, anger, and heat that were emanating from Kristen. "You are a coward. A spineless coward. If you had the decency to tell me that you were in love with Melissa, I would have stepped aside. I would have, because I loved the both of you. Before that moment, I would never hurt the two of you the way you hurt me. Never."

  Her voice was strong, and her will was stronger. Her words beheld a strength and courage she hadn't felt in a long time. For a few minutes, she felt like she did before John broke her. She was the strong woman she once was, and it wasn't even an act.

  "I like Connor. I'm not doing this because I'm trying to get back at you. Maybe that's what it was at first, but now, you're the farthest thing from my mind. I am absolutely indifferent to you, John Wilde. You no longer have power over me, and that is because of Connor. You don't have the right to call me a slut, and you don't have the right to judge me or Connor."

  John shook his head vehemently, feeling cornered and powerless. "We're together whether you like it or not, John. I'm not a brother to you? Well, it goes both ways, little brother," Connor said furiously, still fuming over the way John had ruthlessly attacked Kristen. She held her ground, but nonetheless, John went too far. "I don't need to defend my relationship with Kristen to you. I didn't do this to purposely hurt you, it happened. It happened, and so you need to get over it. So you can get the fuck out of my office now."

  John's head shot up, and his silver eyes met Connor's own. Connor had chosen. Kristen over John, and John knew it was because of the regrettable words he had just called Kristen. Or maybe Connor had just chosen Kristen over John all along.

  Slowly, John shook his head. Like a deflated balloon, all of his rage had gone out of him. There was nothing left but contemplation and sadness, and at that moment, John felt so pathetic and powerless. He lost his brother.

  "No. I'm not done here."

  "Connor, I can't do this. I'm not going to work here with you and pretend like everything is all right."

  "If you stay with Kristen, I'm dissolving my half of Wilde Finances. Dad's will explicitly states that if the two of us don't run the conglomeration together, the Wilde empire is over. Done." John's voice was dejected and lifeless, and Connor could feel his jaw literally drop.

  "What the hell are you talking about, John? You can't,” Connor said with finality, unwilling to accept what John was saying.

  "I can, and I will."

  "You would be so disgustingly petty and vicious to tear down the empire that Dad, himself, built because you can't get over the fact that I'm with Kristen, the woman whose life you cannot seem to stop ruining?"

  John winced at the way Connor worded it. In the end, Connor still didn't seem to understand what was bothering John.

  "I can't run this company with the way things are right now. It's about the fact that you care so little about being the only family member I have left besides Melissa."

  "John…I'm telling you right here, right now. You're my brother, and I care about you." Connor was so frustrated that his voice came out sounding exasperated and angry. Connor was tired of having this conversation over and over again. What did John want him to do, get down on his knees and profess his love for John and Melissa?

  Connor couldn't even imagine that scenario in his head, so John could forget about it.

  "I'm sick of working, Connor. I'm sick of everything here. I'd have given this place up years ago, if it weren't for the fact that it's so damned important to you,” John mumbled.

  John wasn't bluffing about dissolving his half. John hated working long hours at Wilde. That was what Connor was made for but not John. Those months when Connor had left to spread the empire through Japan and Europe had been hell for John. John wanted nothing more than to spend his days with Melissa in Jamaica or Napa Valley. John almost wished he never came back from his honeymoon to the hellhole that was his life in New York City. The only reason he broke his back trying to get Wilde to the top was for Connor, and now, there just seemed to be no point.

  "It's me or her, Connor. It's Wilde Corp. or her,” John said tonelessly, his resolve strengthened. John didn't believe him, and it was hurt filled anger that drove him to continue with the ultimatum.

  John wasn't kidding, Connor realized with a fresh start of fear.

  Connor opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. None could. When the time came for him to choose, he never would have thought that it would be John that would make him choose. Never. Turmoil rippled through Connor like an ocean wave.

  "You're out of your mind,” Kristen hissed. "This is just like you to be so selfish, John. Well, he's not going to fall for it."

  Kristen looked over for Connor for support. She tried not to let it faze her when Connor deliberately avoided her gaze. He still hadn't said anything. Connor's face looked frozen, his gray eyes completely hazed over.

  Connor knew what he should say. Connor knew that the right thing he had to do was to tell John to go to hell. But there was more to the complicated equation than that. Connor could not let Wilde Finances dissolve. This was the company his father had built up from scratch, turning it into a successful business. This was what Connor had been working for his entire life, getting Wilde to its financial peak, and being the best damned CEO in the biz.

  The Wilde family name carried far. Could Connor let that name disappear?

  Could he let go of the one woman he wanted most for the name to survive?

  She was looking at him. Her face, so beautiful, was gazing at him. She had stayed by his side. She defended him from John, and he would have to throw her to the wolves. Intense burning seared at his throat, moving deep down into the cavities of his chest, to make the inevitable decision he knew he would have to make.

  "Connor?" Kristen said, softer. She stepped closer to him, and she placed a gentle hand on his arm. Her voice was so soft, and she was so sweet that it almost made Connor flinch.

  His hesitation sent a chill down her spine. He wasn't looking at her. He wasn't speaking to her.

  No.

  Her heart damn near stopped.

  "Connor?" She tried again, her voice more urgent this time. He finally raised his eyes to meet hers, and she knew in that instant what his choice was. His gray eyes shot through her like a bullet, and she was wounded.

  She felt like vomiting. She felt like crying. She felt like screaming. She felt a million emotions at once.

  More than anything else, it was the betrayal. She almost laughed aloud at the irony of it all. It was happening again. She opened herself up, only to let herself be hurt in the end.

  What made the wound b
urn all the more, was the fact that she had opened herself up to Connor more than any other person she had ever met. She had, oh God, she had practically told him she was falling in love with him.

  With startling clarity, she suddenly remembered that he had never said the words back to her. Hurt flamed through her like an iron rod, and she stifled a cry. It was too late. Tears were surfacing. Her eyes stung, and Connor looked like he could start to cry as well. But he wouldn't of course. He was invincible Connor Wilde. He never cried. He never let women get close to him.

  How could she have been so stupid?

  "Kristen….I-I..." Connor's voice cracked. The sheer amount of pain so evident on her face killed him. Absolutely killed him. He felt like a monster.

  Before he could say another word, she slapped him hard across the face. Connor's head snapped to the left, and her nails left sharp, red marks across his firm cheek. He closed his eyes expecting more, but nothing came.

  When he finally opened them, Kristen stood there, in all her glory. Even in the price of pain, she would never let him see her broken. Never again, she promised herself.

  "If you thought I hated John and Melissa…that's nothing compared to how I feel for you right now,” she said softly. That soft, scratchy voice of hers that used to drive him crazy sounding much more beguiling. She sounded like the cold, proud woman she was when he first met her.

  "Kristen, wait!" Connor called after her, but she ignored him.

  Kristen stopped directly in front of John. To his credit, his eyes and facial expressions showed no signs of satisfaction. It was a hollow victory, and he knew it. He looked grim and slightly remorseful.

  John opened his mouth, "I'm sor–”

  Kristen pulled back her arm with as much force as she could muster, and she punched John Wilde straight in the jaw. Her knuckles popped at the same time. Her knuckles and palms were red, but with more than a little satisfaction made hard contact with his nose, a sickly sound as his nose broke and her knuckles, she watched him stumble backwards.