Chapter 33: Like Brothers
After his confession, Raymond had carried his tray and left, knowing that staying would only make Bella uncomfortable.
Just as he left, Chloe returned and took the seat opposite Bella.
Bella pushed away her tray, her appetite gone completely. Her fork clinked against the plate, and Chloe glanced at her with concern.
"Not eating anymore?"
Bella shook her head, mustering a weak smile. "I think I’ve had enough."
She gathered her things, desperate to leave the cafeteria and breathe air that wasn’t heavy with questions she didn’t want to answer. Chloe offered to walk with her, but Bella waved her off, saying she needed to clear her head.
Chloe suspecting that perhaps Raymond had confessed to Bella simply nodded, understanding that she’d need a moment to herself.
The hallway outside the cafeteria was quieter, the muted hum of phones and printers filling the space. Bella kept her head down, focused on her footsteps,—until she rounded the corner and almost collided with someone.
She raised her head to see that it was Jake.
Her breath hitched. She stopped so suddenly that her phone nearly slipped from her hands. Instinctively, her shoulders stiffened, bracing herself. She knew the look he’d give her, that sly smirk paired with a teasing jab meant to throw her off balance. It was always his game: irritation disguised as attention.
But this time, Jake didn’t smirk. He didn’t even look like he was about to taunt her. His eyes scanned her face, sharp but strangely softened.
"Are you okay? You seemed to have been thinking of something so seriously." His voice was steady. Polite.
Bella blinked, caught completely off guard. "Yes," she said quickly, her fingers tightening around the phone in her hand. "I’m fine."
Jake studied her for a moment longer, his gaze unreadable. Then, with the smallest of nods, he said simply, "Good."
And then he walked past her. Just like that. No playful trick. No needling remark.
Bella turned slightly, watching his retreating figure. Her heart was pounding, though she had no idea why. She should’ve been relieved. Jake wasn’t trying to get under her skin. He wasn’t tormenting her. He was... normal.
And yet, unease curled in her stomach. Because Jake Stones without his sharp edges felt strange. Wrong, even. Like standing in the middle of a storm and realizing the wind had stilled. The quiet was supposed to mean safety, but to Bella it felt like danger waiting to break.
She shook her head, scolding herself silently. Be glad, Bella. He’s leaving you alone. That’s all you ever wanted. To be treated like you both were strangers.
Still, her chest remained tight as she walked away, her heels clicking against the tiled floor louder than usual.
Jake made his way down the corridor, his strides slower than normal. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his jaw set as though he were carrying a weight he wasn’t used to bearing. He stopped outside Raymond’s office, the door cracked just enough for him to see the room was empty.
For a long moment, he stood there. Then he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The office smelled faintly of coffee and paper. Raymond’s jacket was draped over the back of the chair, a file left open on the desk. Jake didn’t touch anything. Instead, he lowered himself into the chair across from the desk, leaning back, his eyes sweeping over the room that belonged to his brother.
Minutes ticked by before the door creaked open again.
Raymond stepped in, a folder tucked under his arm, his head bent slightly as though weighed down by the long night and day before it. When his gaze lifted, he froze.
Jake. Sitting in his office like he belonged there.
"What are you doing here?" Raymond’s voice was flat, sharp enough to cut. "This isn’t your office."
Jake didn’t flinch. He straightened in his chair, folding his hands together. "Obviously. I’m here because I wanted to talk."
Raymond let out a humorless laugh, low and bitter. He didn’t even move closer, just leaned against the doorframe, the folder still clutched tight. "Talk? Now you want to talk? You’ve already taken everything, Jake. What else is left for you to say?"
"I didn’t take it," Jake said quietly, his tone even.
Raymond’s jaw clenched. "Then what do you call it? Father stripped me of everything and handed it to you. My office. My position. My future. And now you’re sitting here—" He gestured toward the desk, his chest rising with anger. "Pretending you want to have a conversation like we’re equals? Like you didn’t just walk off with my life?"
Jake’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze steady but unreadable. "I didn’t ask for it, Raymond. You think I wanted things to play out this way?"
Raymond’s laugh came again, harsher this time. "Don’t." His voice cracked, the rawness of his wound bleeding through. "Don’t stand there acting like you’re the victim. If you really didn’t want it, you could’ve said no. But you didn’t. You stayed. You took it. And now you’re sitting in my chair."
Silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating. For the first time, Jake didn’t argue back. His lips pressed together, the muscles in his jaw tight.
"I understand you’re upset but can we just talk? Like brothers?" he said as he stood up.
Raymond’s breathing slowed, his glare unwavering. "I don’t want to hear it. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not until I stop feeling like you’re the shadow I’ll never escape."
Jake stood looking at Raymond for a second longer, as if debating whether to push. Then he sighed, slow and deliberate, his gaze lingering on his younger brother.
For a flicker of a moment, something softened in his eyes — something that almost looked like regret. He gave the faintest of nods, a silent acknowledgment, before he turned and walked out.
Raymond stood rooted, his chest heaving, listening to the fading sound of Jake’s footsteps down the hall. The file in his hands shook before he finally tossed it onto the desk, his head falling into his hands.
Jake’s departure didn’t bring relief. Only the reminder of how deep the rift between them had grown — a wound that even silence couldn’t mend.