My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 726

Chapter 726

Perla and Gio were watching me quietly, the same expression settling over both of their faces.

The pantsuit fit perfectly.

The charcoal fabric hugged my shoulders without feeling tight. The jacket was sharp, tailored, almost military. The trousers fell neatly over black heels.

When I caught my reflection before leaving my room. I almost didn’t recognize myself. Dad was already waiting outside.

The moment he saw me, a slow smile spread across his face. His eyes traveled over the suit before he nodded once.

“It suits you.”

I wasn’t sure whether he meant the clothes or the role he wanted me to play. Neither of us spoke as we walked through the estate. Guards nodded respectfully the moment they saw him.

Some glanced at me, others openly stared. They already knew. The missing daughter had come home.

The thought made my stomach twist.

We entered a different building connected to the mansion.

Dad pushed open a pair of heavy doors, “This,” he said quietly, “is where the real work happens.”

The room beyond looked nothing like I’d expected. One entire wall was covered with maps.

Colored pins marked different neighborhoods. Thin strings connected warehouses to shipping routes. Another wall held photographs. Faces, names, ranks, captains, crew leaders, business owners, judges, politicians, police commanders.

Everything was organized. Everything had a place. In the center of the room stood a long table covered with folders.

Dad walked around it slowly, “Our legitimate companies,” he slid folders toward me, one after other, “Construction, shipping, waste management, private security.”

I looked down at the first page. The words immediately started moving, letters switched places, paragraphs blurred together.

I sighed in frustration, not now, please, not now. Without saying anything reached into my pocket and unlocked my phone.

His frown deepened as he looked between me and the file, “Explain.”

I zoomed in on the map attached to the report and he leaned in to look at my screen with me, “If this warehouse already receives shipments through Camden,” I traced another line, “Why are you paying twice for transportation here?” I looked up at him,” Wouldn’t it be cheaper to merge both routes?”

The room became very quiet. Dad didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked around the table, stopped beside me, looked down at my phone, then back at the papers and then at me again, “What…” his voice was slower now, “…are you using?”

I looked down at the screen.

A small smile appeared before I could stop it, “This? It’s an app…” I gently brushed my thumb across it, “My stepbrother, Raphael made it.”

Dad’s expression turned harder, “Raphael?”

I nodded, “He built it… specifically for me. It changes text into something my brain can actually process,” I smiled faintly, “It breaks long paragraphs apart. It fixes spacing. It highlights important information. It reads things aloud if I need it to.”

I shrugged, my gaze fixed on the screen. For a moment, it almost felt like Raphael was standing beside me.

“He kept adding to it every few weeks,” I continued. “All I had to do was tell him what was frustrating me, and he’d disappear for a while. The next time I saw him, he’d fixed it. Not me…” I whispered the last words, “He fixed everything around me.”