He Denied My Brother's Last Journey

My billionaire boyfriend refused to loan me fifty thousand dollars to bring my brother' s body home.

Three days later, I found his assistant wearing my silk robe in our penthouse.

That was the moment I decided to marry my childhood friend instead.

For eight years, I was Callen House' s dirty little secret.

I accepted the shadows, believing his "Relationship Protocols" were just the quirks of a tech genius.

But when my brother died tragically overseas, Callen didn't offer comfort.

He offered me a corporate loan application, which his assistant, Daniella, promptly denied.

While I was drowning in grief, Jaren stepped in.

He paid for the repatriation without hesitation, proving what real love actually looked like.

I went to Callen' s apartment to end things, only to find Daniella there, sporting a fresh hickey and a smug grin.

The truth came out like a landslide.

She hadn't just stolen my boyfriend; she had been intercepting my bonuses and sabotaging my career for years.

And Callen? He defended her.

He called me a liability and threatened to ruin me if I made a scene.

So I didn't just quit.

I sent a picture of me and Jaren to the company group chat with a caption that silenced the entire office.

"I' m getting married. And it' s not to Callen House."

Chapter 1

My brother's death overseas was a punch to the gut, a cold, hard truth that knocked the air from my lungs. The call from the consulate was a blur of medical terms and repatriation costs, a sum so astronomical it felt like another cruel joke from fate. Fifty thousand dollars. How was I supposed to come up with that? My mind immediately went to Callen. He had to help. He just had to.

"I need to talk to Callen, it's urgent," I choked out to Daniella Fischer, his executive assistant, my voice raw with unshed tears. "It's about my brother. He's... he's gone."

Her voice, usually as smooth as polished marble, took on a brittle edge. "Ms. Bryan, you know Mr. House's 'Relationship Protocol.' All personal matters must go through corporate channels."

"Corporate channels?" I screamed, the word tasting like ash. "My brother is dead, Daniella! My only family!"

"I understand this is a difficult time," she continued, completely unfazed, "but the procedure is clear. You can submit an employee loan application, and it will be reviewed like any other."

I hung up, my hand trembling so hard I almost dropped the phone. The loan was denied, of course, three days later. A sterile email, no explanation. Just a cold, hard 'no.' It was like being told my grief wasn't important enough, my brother's life not valuable enough for a simple loan.

That' s when Jaren stepped in. He didn't ask questions. He just listened, his eyes holding a warmth that felt like a lifeline in my freezing world. He fronted the money himself, a sum I knew was significant even for his growing logistics company. He