"Thomas," he said through his teeth, as he stood slowly, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Tone it down, Nicholas," Thomas said softly, "There's a child here, try not to traumatize her."
Thomas stepped fully into the office, one hand tucked into his pocket and the other securely holding a little girl with curly brown hair and sleepy eyes, no older than four. She held his hands tightly, her thumb in her mouth, looking around curiously.
Nicholas's jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed in on the child. He wasn't stupid. This was a deliberate move designed piss him off.
Classic Thomas.
"What is this? What are you doing here?"
"Relax," Thomas said, stepping inside uninvited, "Can't your brother drop by and say hello?"
Thomas's daughter lets go of his hands and runs towards the curtains, staring down at moving cars.
Nicholas's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "We're not brothers and we haven't had a normal conversation in years for a reason."
"Ah, right," Thomas mused, glancing around the office like he owned the place, "Because you always preferred throwing people out instead of facing them, Just like Dad did."
Thomas chuckled, brushing a curl from the girl's face, "Don't be so bitter, You chose loneliness and I chose legacy."
Nicholas scoffed, walking around his desk slowly, his eyes narrowing,
"Legacy?" he spoke with a smirk, "You mean riding off our father's name like a parasite while you're pretending you built something of your own?"
He leaned forward, his voice sharp, "Don't confuse stealing scraps with building an empire, Thomas."
Thomas grinned, unfazed at Nicholas's word,
"Empire? Is that what you call this crumbling mess?" he taunted him, "Face it, Nicholas, you're just the placeholder until the real king arrives."
He glanced at his daughter and then back at Nicholas, "And trust me, the throne's already being polished."
Nicholas scoffed again, "Get to the point, Thomas, Why are you really here?"
Thomas's smile widened, almost reaching his ears, "Just paying a visit to the man I'll be replacing soon. Thought I would check in before you completely lose control of everything our father built."
Nicholas's expression hardened, "You're only dreaming."
"Am I?" Thomas chuckled darkly as he reached into his coat pocket and tossed a folded newspaper onto Nicholas's desk.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes as he unfolded it. His jaw clenched at the headline;
"Billionaire Nicholas Grey Allegedly Plotting Marriage Scam, Sources Claim Financial Motive Behind Sudden Proposal Plans"
Thomas let go of his daughter and walked round Nicholas' office while he read.
"What is this?" Nicholas shot his eyes at Thomas.
Thomas smirked, "Now no woman in her right mind is going to marry you, You are a poison, brother and I made sure of it."
Nicholas's eyes flicked to him, burning with fury.
"You did this?"
Thomas raised his hands innocently, "I just helped the truth find its way to the public ears and maybe Paid off a few journalists, whispered a few words in the right ears. The rest handled itself."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Face it, your name's mud and soon, so will your empire be."
Nicholas stared at the headline, his fingers gripping the edges of the paper as the words etched deeply into his mind, his jaw tightened, eyes burning with rage, but slowly, his lips curled into a cold calculating smile.
Thomas thought this would ruin him.
He thought wrong.
The pain in his chest was real, the pain of betrayal deep, but Nicholas wasn't the kind of man to crumble. If anything, this only fueled the fire within him.
He let out a low chuckle, the kind that carried not amusement but promise.
"Nice move, Thomas," he muttered loud enough for him to hear, folding the paper with calm, "Enjoy your little victory."
Thomas narrowed his eyes, watching Nicholas's eerie smile stretch across his face. He scoffed.
"Still pretending, huh? That grin doesn't hide the fact that your world's crumbling all around you," he mused, "You're done, Nicholas and no woman in her right mind will want you now, not after that article."
But Nicholas didn't flinch, he leaned forward slowly, his elbows resting on the desk as his smile turned sharper.
"Is that so?" he asked calmly.
Thomas blinked, his smug expression fading slightly at Nicholas's unexpected calm expression.
"You think you've won," Nicholas continued, "But you have no idea how many moves ahead I already am, enjoy your little win."
Thomas tilted his head, sensing something was off, "What are you talking about?"
Nicholas didn't answer him. He simply just leaned back, still smirking.
Thomas narrowed his gaze again with suspicion.
"You're bluffing," he said, but he didn't sound entirely convinced about that.
Nicholas's smirk widens. He didn't need to say anything, his silence was enough.
Thomas clenched his jaw, unsettled. He had no clue Nicholas had already sealed a marriage contract with Rachel.
Thomas chuckled darkly, shaking his head, "Whatever little plan you've got working, it's not going to work," he said, voice mixed with mockery, "The public already sees you for what you are, a desperate man."
Nicholas's smirk didn't leave, but his eyes sharpened.
"Daddy, can we go now?" Thomas's daughter asks her father, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Yes, dear," Thomas replied sweetly, not different from how he was talking to Nicholas, placing a hand on her shoulder, "we are about leaving."
Then, with a final satisfied smirk toward his brother and then turned to leave, "Good luck salvaging your reputation, big brother, you'll need it."
Without waiting for a response, Thomas picked up his daughter and strolled out, still laughing under his breath.
After Thomas left, the door slowly opened again and Stephen stepped inside, holding a folder in his hand and closed the door behind him.
Nicholas didn't look up from his desk, "How did it go, Stephen?"
Stephen paused for a moment before replying. "I delivered the gift and she accepted them, but there was a bit of tension."
"She probably didn't want to accept," Nicholas thought loudly to himself. "Is that all?" he asked Stephen as he leaned deeper into his chair.
For a moment again, Stephen paused, "Yes there's something else."