The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 230 She Was Never Yours

When Nathaniel Cooper saw the man step out from the shadows, his whole body went stiff.

Tristan Reid stood tall in front of him, every inch of him radiating that fierce, commanding energy—calm and quiet like the night, but hiding something powerful underneath.

His thin lips parted slightly. “Out of all the women in the world, only Megan Shaw means something to me.”

Nathaniel let out a dry, mocking laugh. “Figures. Outta a hundred guys, ninety-nine might mess around, and you’re that one rare exception.”

Tristan’s gaze turned sharp, cold enough to freeze. His voice was flat. “Nathaniel Cooper, I’m arresting you under my authority as Director of the Verduria Security Bureau.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

That bit of news caught Nathaniel off guard. He blinked in disbelief. “So the director’s position was never vacant—just hidden. No wonder you’ve got so much pull. You’ve got power across land, sea, and air.”

He shut his eyes for a second like something had finally clicked. “Damn. Young, but full of skill.”

Tristan’s tone stayed icy. “Justice always catches up. You falling from the top? That was just a matter of time.”

Nathaniel shifted his eyes to Nicole Flynn, standing slightly behind Tristan. “So, when did you switch sides?”

“He saw through me the first time we met. Back when I tried to assassinate Harrison Reid, he happened to get a glimpse of me behind the wheel. And the poison I had in me? He cleared it.”

Nathaniel staggered to his feet. “I hesitated... If I’d just destroyed the mother bug, your lies would’ve been exposed. I wouldn’t be stuck like this.”

Nicole shook her head and said firmly, “No, this was bound to happen. You’ve hurt too many people and shown no remorse. You trampled over the law like it was nothing.”

Nathaniel scoffed. “As if your hands are clean.”

Nicole curved her lips into a sad smile. “Not really. But I’ll turn myself in.”

“Witness cooperation. Redemption through confession.” Tristan didn’t say much, but those eight words gave Nicole hope she’d be given another chance.

For a moment, her eyes lit up with something she hadn’t shown in a while—hope for a future.

Without saying more, Tristan motioned, and two SWAT officers stepped forward. They twisted Nathaniel’s arms behind his back and cuffed him, marching him toward the car.

As they passed Nicole, Nathaniel paused and asked quietly, “Did you ever hesitate? Even a little?”

Nicole stared straight at him. “Never.”

Nathaniel hung his head low, like a rooster that just lost a fight, and got pushed into the cop car.

Tristan turned to Nicole. “Come back to the capital with us.”

Nicole nodded. “Yeah... I miss my family. Haven’t seen them in forever. Thanks, Mr. Reid, and Mrs. Reid too.”

Nathaniel suddenly burst out laughing from the car. “Tristan Reid, you think exposing your identity means nothing? You’ve just painted a target on your back. Every bounty hunter out there wants your head. Maybe you’ll make it out... but what about your wife and kid? Hah! Your nightmare’s just getting started. Hey, come here. I got a secret for you.”

Tristan let out a cold chuckle. “I don’t care about your secrets.”

“It’s about the poison you and your girl got hit with.”

Tristan’s body tensed. His phoenix eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, and he slowly walked over.

“You two were infected with Lovebond Venom—I can tell. In five months, it’s gonna activate. The guy dies, the woman lives. Feels great, huh? She gets to live. But here’s your bad news—it’s incurable.”

Tristan’s fists clenched tighter, teeth grinding, but he turned and walked away.Tristan Reid had been sitting in the car for a long while, chain-smoking to the point his fingers smelled like ash. His phone finally buzzed, cutting through the silence.

He picked up, his voice instantly soft. "Hey, babe."

Megan Shaw asked, "Everything go okay?"

"Yeah, all good."

"Is Nicole alright?"

"Unharmed—physically and emotionally. She’s back in the capital with the SWAT team. Missed her family, wanted to be with them for a bit."

Tristan looked up at the sky full of stars. "See the brightest star up there? To me, you shine even brighter."

"Aww, sweet talker! Hurry back and say that to my face," Megan replied, lying on the bed. "Honey, guess what I really wanna do right now?"

Tristan chuckled. "Spend forever doing nothing with me?"

"You horny dog. I just wanna lie on my stomach."

"Stomach? That’s my favorite pose," he teased, then burst into laughter.

Megan huffed softly. "Pregnant belly’s in the way, obviously. Just wanna rest like that for now. Once the baby’s out, I’ll live on my stomach. When you coming home? I’m so bored I’m growing moss here."

"Your little one’s with you. Try to sleep early. I’m heading back now."

"True, just finished a bit of prenatal music for them." She yawned. "Alright, I’m knocking out. Bit sleepy. Drive safe, okay?"

"Will do. Sleep tight."

She gave a soft hum. "See you soon."

As the call ended, the smile on Tristan’s face slowly faded. Nathaniel Cooper’s words played on loop in his head, his gaze turning darker.

He turned the car around, steering out of the woods while dialing Karl Freeman’s number.

Karl picked up with a bit of sarcasm. "What, bust one too many bad guys and got a rush?"

Tristan smirked. "Yeah, thought I’d swing by and bust you too."

Karl scoffed, "You never call me with anything good, do you?"

"Send me your location. I’m on my way."

Karl let out a laugh. "Two guys meeting up this late? Sounds like the start of some major rumors."

Tristan snorted. "If we were, I’d be the top. You’re definitely the bottom."

Karl cursed, "You damn troll!"

He hung up, rubbing his temples in frustration. Tristan had seriously mastered the art of pushing his buttons.

After taking a deep breath or two, Karl grudgingly shared his location via WhatsApp.

Tristan pinged back just one word: "Good boy."

Karl nearly tossed his phone but held back. He slipped out from under the covers and walked to his floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, snowflakes had started to drift down quietly.

Now that Nathaniel Cooper was taken care of, he owed Tristan and Megan some closure.

He gazed at a photo on his phone, the reflection in the glass catching his subtle, bittersweet smile—like someone too perfect to belong to this messy world.

Fingers brushing the porcelain face in the photo, he muttered to himself, "Didn’t get to have you then, and I won’t now either. But at least you know I exist in this life, and you don’t hate me. That’s enough."

His complexion was visibly pale. He had planned to see Megan tomorrow for one final goodbye before helping them lift the curse. But now that Tristan was already on the way—guess tonight’s the night.

After all, if he waited until seeing her, he might not be willing to let go.

He stayed planted by the window, eyes unfocused as he stared out into the snowy dark.

No idea how long passed before twin beams of headlights lit up the glass. He instinctively raised a hand to block the glare.

The headlights shut off. A tall figure stepped out of the car and headed straight for the villa.