Page 36 of Hitched to My Enemy
"Time for what, Bryce?"
He buried his face in his hands, shoulders slumping in defeat. When he looked up, tears streaked his cheeks. "I got in over my head. Started with just a few hands of poker at the Mirage Continental. Then it was weekends in Macau. Private games with stakes I couldn't afford."
The confession tumbled out in broken fragments—gambling debts that spiraled into hundreds of thousands, threats from loan sharks, increasingly desperate attempts to dig himself out that only buried him deeper.
"They were going to kill me, Easton," he said, his voice cracking. "These aren't people who give extensions. They sent me photographs of my sister's kids at school. Said next time it wouldn't just be pictures."
Ice spread through my veins. "So you stole from me. From the company we built together."
"I was desperate! I thought I could win it back, make it right before you ever noticed." His eyes pleaded for understanding I couldn't give. "Then Ricci approached me. Said he knew about my... situation. Offered to clear my debts in exchange for information about the Jade Petal."
Harlow leaned forward. "What kind of information, Mr. Delacroix?"
"Financial projections at first. Investor lists. Nothing that wasn't public record anyway." He swallowed hard. "Then he wanted more. Security protocols. Access codes. Details about the gaming systems."
"And the sabotaged machines?" I asked, barely maintaining control. "The rigged programming that could have sent me to prison for fraud?"
Shame twisted his features. "That was his idea. Said if the commission found compliance violations, they'd shut you down before opening. The inspection delays would spook investors, and he'd be able to buy the property for pennies on the dollar when it went under."
"All while you continued to embezzle funds," Harlow added, her tone matter-of-fact.
"I had to create accounting discrepancies," he admitted. "Make it look like operational losses instead of theft. I thought—" He broke off, a bitter laugh escaping. "I thought I was being clever."
"Not clever enough," I said coldly.
Bryce leaned forward, desperation edging his voice. "Easton, please. We can fix this. We've fixed everything else together for fifteen years. I'll make it right, I swear."
The plea hit like a physical blow—the echo of a friendship I'd thought unbreakable now shattered beyond repair. For amoment, I saw the roommate who'd stayed up all night helping me debug code, the friend who'd believed in my vision when everyone else called it fantasy, the brother who'd stood beside me through every triumph and disaster.
But that man was gone, replaced by a stranger who had betrayed everything we'd built.
"Not this time," I said quietly.
With three words, fifteen years ended. I pressed the intercom, summoning security. Two officers arrived within moments, their faces professionally blank as I instructed them to escort Bryce from the building.
"Easton, please," he begged as they approached. "Don't do this."
I turned away, unable to watch as they led him out. The door closed with a soft click that seemed to echo through the sudden silence of my office.
***
For several minutes after Bryce's departure, I stood motionless before the windows, staring out at the Strip without really seeing it. The city stretched below me—all glittering promise and ambitious dreams—while inside I felt hollow, gutted by a betrayal I should have seen coming.
Behind me, Harlow remained silent, allowing me space to process. I could feel her presence, solid and steady, not intruding but simply there. When I finally turned, I found her watching me with quiet understanding.
"I keep thinking I should have known," I admitted, the words torn from someplace raw. "The signs were there. The unexplained absences. The growing secrecy. The way he'd deflect whenever I asked about certain expenses."
"People who betray us are experts at hiding in plain sight," she said softly. "Especially those closest to us. They know exactly what we want to believe, what we need to hear."
"You spotted it." I ran a hand through my hair, frustration mounting. "You identified the financial patterns within days. I had years and saw nothing."
"Because I was looking with objective eyes." She approached, close enough that I could feel her warmth but not touching. "You trusted him because that's what friendship is. Trust isn't a weakness, Easton."
"Feels like one right now."
Her hand found mine, a simple point of contact that anchored me. "I know."
Two simple words, but something in how she said them broke through the careful control I'd maintained throughout the confrontation. My shoulders sagged as the magnitude of the betrayal finally hit full force. The man who knew all my secrets, my fears, my ambitions. Gone.
