Chapter 13 The guilt of abandoning Sienna is like a crushing weight on my chest, suffocating me, threatening to consume and destroy me. The look on her face when I didn't defend her will forever haunt me, along with the scars I know she now bears from my mother's hand. The mate bond between us screams out in agony, causing me pain I can't ignore. Frustration courses through me like a raging river, threatening to sweep me away and drown me in its rapids. I wander into the billiard room, my footsteps heavy and echoing in the silence as I pace the floor trying to make sense of the events that took place. The more it nags at me the more enraged and betrayed I feel. I make a beeline for the bar, desperately hoping the amber liquid within the bottles can drown out the torment that consumes me. I pour myself a drink. The clink of the ice against the glass is a stark reminder of the coldness I showed Sienna. I take a sip, and the burn of the alcohol is nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I take another sip, and the tears that have been threatening to fall burn my eyes. I know I'll never be able to forgive myself for what I did. As I take another sip, my mother storms into the room, her anger palpable, her dressing gown billowing behind her as she storms into the room like a raging storm. "Xandros, you cannot keep her here. She's a traitor, the daughter of the woman who killed my sister! I want her gone!" she exclaims, her voice shrill and laced with venom. Her eyes blaze with her need for revenge, and her need to hurt my mate. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ƒind ηøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "And you know it's not that simple. She's my mate!" I snap back, my voice strained and filled with anguish. "She doesn't deserve to be your mate, Xandros. She should be executed for her family's crimes!" she argues, her eyes filled with fire and fury. My father moves to try to calm her down. She shrugs him off, stepping away, her gaze cutting through him. "Adina, you know Xandros can't kill her now that he's marked her. It would destroy him," my father interjects, attempting to diffuse the volatile situation. My mother is beyond listening to reason. "I don't care! I won't have that woman as my daughter-in-law!" my mother yells, her face flushed with her burning anger. "This isn't about what you want! I have to figure out what to do with her. I can't break the fucking bond you're asking for the impossible!" I reply, my voice rising in frustration at the situation I've found myself trapped in. "Figure something out? You should have never let it get this far, Xandros!" she accuses, her eyes blazing with disappointment and rage. "I didn't know, Mother! None of us knew!" I shout back, feeling my control slip away like sand through my fingers. "You should have looked into her before marking her," my mother persists, her voice dripping with contempt. "She was fucking dying. There wasn't time for me to look into her background!" I scream back at her. She goes to speak again, and I lose my temper, my fist coming down on the bar, the bottles on the shelf rattling loudly. "Enough!" I roar, my patience finally snapping like a brittle branch in a hurricane. In a fit of fury, I hurl my whiskey glass at the fireplace, causing it to explode in a shower of glass and flames. The sound echoes throughout the room like the shattering of my resolve. My chest is filled with a swirling mix of emotions: anger, frustration and fear. My parents are frozen in fear, taken aback by the sheer force of my outburst. The billiard room is eerily silent, the only sound being the crackling of the fireplace from the broken glass that now lies scattered across the floor. My anger and frustration swirl within me like a tornado, threatening to consume me. I glance around the billiard room, my parents' fear of me palpable in the air. I can feel their judgment and disapproval pressing down on me like a heavy weight. I want to scream, to lash out and break something, anything, to make the feelings go away. Instead, I just stand there, silent and livid, as the fire from the fireplace crackles and burns. After a while, the silence in the room becomes deafening and unbearable. I storm out of the room, leaving my mother and father behind, their voices fading into the distance like the ghosts of my past. As I stalk through the empty corridors, the weight of the situation bears down on me, my chest tight and my breath shallow. No matter what I do, someone will be hurt, and I can't shake the feeling it's all my fault. My heart aches for Sienna, the woman I've marked as my own, now locked away in the depths of the dungeons, her pain echoing through me, her fear evident in the sinking hole in my stomach. The darkness that surrounds her seeps into me, clawing at my very soul. And yet, my mother's words ring in my ears, the haunting memory of a past impossible to escape. I find myself torn between loyalty to my family and the bond I share with Sienna, a connection that defies logic and reason. The storm within me rages, threatening to tear me apart as I struggle to find a way through this impossible maze of emotions and consequences. It takes me ages to come back to my surroundings, not realizing in my anger I have gone back to my old quarters, a room I shared with her and I can still feel her presence in the room, as if she is still here with me. Title: "Twists of Fate: Embracing Family Ties with Three Powerful Brothers" Author: CrushReel Genre: Billionaire, CEO, Sweet Romance, Modern, Romantic, Office, Drama Status: ongoing Embarking on the path to marriage, she faced a sudden heartbreak as her fiancé called it quits. Amidst the shattered dreams, a surprising revelation awaited at her engagement celebration. Three influential brothers unveiled her true identity as their long-lost sister, reshaping her world in unexpected ways. Navigating through the complexities of newfound family connections and the opulence of their high-stakes world, she grapples with the essence of wealth beyond material possessions. As bonds of blood intertwine with the allure of power and love, she finds herself at a crossroads where loyalty, ambition, and affection collide in a captivating dance of emotions. Set against the backdrop of ambition-driven CEOs and the tender nuances of modern romance, this tale weaves together themes of self-discovery, familial bonds, and the intricate dynamics of office politics. With each chapter unraveling layers of secrets and desires, readers are drawn into a narrative that blends drama with heartfelt moments of connection. Distinguished by its blend of sweet romance and compelling drama, "Twists of Fate" offers a unique perspective on love, ambition, and the transformative power of family ties. Available to read at CrushReel for those seeking a captivating journey through the intertwined lives of three powerful brothers and the sister they never knew they had.