The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 254 Who else does he hate?

The night was soaked in inky darkness when a sudden downpour hit, making the end-of-winter chill even more biting.

Megan heard that Tristan was on his way back, and she couldn’t sit still. Wrapped tightly in her coat, she waited by the door, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Tonight’s events made one thing painfully clear—Tristan was walking a razor’s edge. One misstep and he’d go straight off the cliff.

She was pregnant now, couldn’t offer much help, and the best thing she could do was stay safe and not become a burden.

Pulling her coat tighter around her, she rubbed her frozen, red-tipped fingers and blew warm breath into her palms.

The night felt heavier by the second, but she waited anyway—because she knew, deep down, that the man she loved was fighting his way back to her.

Didn’t matter how cold or how long, she’d wait for him.

Suddenly, a sharp beam of headlights cut through the darkness and reflected in her eyes. A black car rolled toward her, slow but steady.

It stopped right beside her.

The car door opened, and Tristan got out. He rounded the front without hesitation, striding straight to her. One step close, then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest.

"I missed you so much, Megan."

Those simple words broke the dam in Megan’s heart. Tears streamed down her face. Her biggest fear had been not his return—but waiting endlessly for someone who never would.

The metallic tang of blood hit her nose hard. Her brows knit. "You’re hurt?"

Tristan loosened his hug just enough to look at her. "No. It’s not mine," he said gently, a soft smile on his face.

Megan cupped his face in her hands, her fingers tracing gently over his skin. Then she opened his coat to check. His face looked pale, but there were no wounds. Just bloodstains on his coat.

"Whose blood is it?"

"Nathaniel’s. It’s freezing. Let’s go inside."

Still confused, but trusting him, Megan let Tristan guide her into the house.

Zachary spotted the blood on Tristan’s coat and asked right away, "You’re hurt?"

"It’s someone else’s," Tristan replied calmly, offering a polite smile. "Sorry to make you worry."

"Tonight’s chaos caught us all off guard. Come with me to the study." Zachary turned without waiting and headed toward the study.

Tristan followed him, with Oliver, Samuel, and Jason trailing close behind.

From the kitchen, Stella Banks watched the group disappear down the hall. She turned to Michelle. "What’s happening?"

Michelle’s eyes gleamed for a second. "Tristan’s back. They’re all in the study now. Must be about what went down tonight."

Stella let out a breath. "These guys and their secrets. We’d just get in the way. Might as well turn in for the night. It’s been a stressful day."

"Sure." Michelle watched her walk away, the warm smile slowly slipping off her face. Darkness settled over her features.

She’d just managed to contact her handler—but Jason almost caught her in the act.

Clearly, she needed to speed things up. Waiting wasn’t an option anymore.

In the study.

Tristan recounted everything that’d gone down earlier tonight.

Zachary rubbed his temples. "All the planning in the world, and we completely missed the real mastermind—Charles, the one pulling the strings of this whole empire. So he was letting Nathaniel run wild, sitting back, waiting to reap the benefits. That’s... disturbingly smart."

Oliver Lewis nodded. "Yeah, it’s a damn miracle Tristan made it back alive. But if Charles manages to break that sorcery worm—whether through Karl or someone else—Tristan will be his number one target.""Charles, that old bastard’s ambition is just off the charts. Not content with taking over a country, now he wants the whole damn planet too," Samuel scoffed. "And to think the Lewis family and the Reids backed him all the way—voting for him, rallying support. Turns out the biggest villain of them all is him. Man, I must’ve been blind."

Megan chuckled. "Your ’blind dog eyes’, huh? Gotta admit, it’s kinda on point."

Samuel shot her a look. "You never miss a chance to clown on me, do you?"

Zachary gave him a glare. "If it weren’t for Megan noticing something was off and getting us to the basement in time, we’d all be screwed. You should really learn a thing or two from her. For someone with a computer science degree, you relied on her to cut off enemy signals and contact Tristan."

Samuel rolled his eyes. What, like he didn’t try? It’s not like he had a laptop on him at the time. Even if he did, it wasn’t tricked out like Megan’s. No way he was going to admit she beat him there—he just turned his head and pretended he didn’t hear any of that.

"So, what’s the move?" Jason asked. "Charles won’t let this slide. And Nathaniel’s out there, juiced up on some enhanced bio-serum... if he spreads a virus or something, we’re screwed."

"Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about too," Tristan let out a deep sigh. "Charles is gonna cover for Nathaniel. Finding him right now is like looking for a needle in the ocean."

"Did you get in touch with Kevin Ward to activate SkyEye?" Megan asked.

Tristan nodded. "It’s up and running, but the Department of Defense is involved now. Wouldn’t be surprised if they step in officially soon."

Zachary leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "This whole world is in Charles’s pocket. He’s pulling all the strings. Honestly, our odds aren’t looking great."

Tristan reached for his shirt and took off a button, placing it gently on the table. "Button cam. It’s got footage of Nathaniel coming back from the dead—and Charles going full villain mode."

"But how are you gonna explain taking matters into your own hands with Nathaniel?" Samuel looked uneasy. "Once the public gets wind of it, you’ll be roasted alive online. The trolls won’t let it go."

Megan shrugged. "We’ll just say the Cooper brothers were plotting something shady, and the SafeNet Director took action to prevent a disaster, even if it meant facing a public backlash. People aren’t gonna stand behind a leader who smiles in their face while throwing them into chaos. On the other hand, when Tristan lays it all out there, gives people the raw truth—they’ll be more thankful than mad."

She gave Samuel’s shoulder a pat. "Hard coding ain’t your thing, but you’ve still got enough skills to take on a few tech geeks. Just keep this story hot online, let it trend. The more people start questioning Charles, the harder it’ll be for him to hold on."

Samuel snorted. "You think that’s all I’m good for? You really underestimate your big bro."

Megan just shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah." Then something clicked in her head. "Tristan, besides you, who else does Nathaniel hate?"

Tristan’s face turned stone-cold. "Nicole Flynn."

He stood up and headed toward the door. The moment he opened it, Michelle was standing right there.

Her smile froze on her face the second the door opened. "I was just looking for Jason," she said, trying to keep it casual.

Tristan didn’t flinch. Just gave her a slight nod and walked right past her.

Megan followed close behind. "Tristan, you have to bring her back."

He nodded. "I will. You can count on it."

"Zeta Prime coming through!" the little guy ran up with a burst of energy. "Zeta wants in too!"

"Zeta?" Megan made a gagging motion.