Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Tell your husband what you did,” I repeated, while taking a few threatening steps toward her.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.” She clearly intended to play dumb.
My mother was many things, but dumb, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them. It would have been far easier to control her scheming if she was stupid.
“Tell them how you hired the fucking Irish mob to kidnap my girlfriend.”
“Harrison, you’re acting irrational. Your mother said you and Catherine broke it off.” My father rose, standing behind his desk.
“Not Catherine,” I growled. “Eddie.”
My mother laughed with her hand on her chest. “Calling that girl, a common secretary, his girlfriend.”
“Tell him what you did. Admit it,” I said again. “Or I swear to God not only will I tell him, but I will also have you arrested and, as I’ve already promised you, will throw every single thing I can think of at you. I will charge you not only with racketeering and for the kidnapping and attempted murder of my girlfriend, but I will also throw the rest of the book at you. I will make sure that you are charged with Olivia’s abduction and kidnapping, as well as for the abuse that Amelia had to deal with, and that no doubt Rose still does.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” She rounded on me, a wild look in her eyes, claws bared.
“I will have you charged with corporate espionage and embezzlement. Every single sin will be brought to light, Mother.” I spat the last word.
“Everything I’ve done has been for this family. You and your sister are so ungrateful. You don’t understand the things I have done for you. You’re going around calling that trollop your girlfriend. She’s nothing. She’s not good enough for you. She’s not good enough for anyone. That is not a woman that you date or marry. That is a woman that you sleep with on the side and hope you don’t impregnate, or catch an STD from to bring home to your wife.”
“Where is she?” I growled out, hovering over my mother, intimidating her the same way I would opposing counsel if they had tried to play dirty.
“She’s where she belongs,” my mother said. “I had to do it. After you let the world know your dirty little secret, I had to do something to protect your reputation. You were going to throw it away on some common piece of trash. You need to call Catherine and beg her to take you back.”
“If anything happens to Eddie. If a single hair on her head is misplaced—”
“You’ll what?” she taunted, facing me. “You can’t do anything because anything you do toward me would ruin your career.”
“She is more important than my career. I don’t understand how you don’t get that. Maybe it’s because you’re a heartless shrew whose only joy in life comes from meddling in the lives of others. But I swear to God, if you do not tell me where she is, I won’t bother having you arrested after all. I’ll kill you myself with my bare fucking hands. Because if she’s not in my life there’s no reason not to throw it away.”
“Harrison, don’t be dramatic.” My mother rolled her eyes like she was talking to a petulant child. “I did you a favor. All this girl was going to do was drag you down.”
“You don’t even know her,” I argued.
“I don’t need to know her. I know her type. But more importantly, I know what type she isn’t. She is not built for the life you need. She would not be the wife to elevate your career. She would drag you down to her level, and I will be damned if I let all the work that I have put into you go to hell for some little gold-digging slut.”
“Tell him where the girl is,” my father ordered, his voice sterner than I had ever heard.
My father was not a weak man, but he believed that strength was not demonstrated by yelling or showing your hand and letting your enemy see your emotion. The stoicism that I exuded came from him, biological father or not.
“No, I will not let him throw his life away,” she screeched.
My father placed both hands flat on his desk and leaned forward, taking a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he stared my mother down.
“You will tell him where the girl is, and if you don’t, I will divorce you. I will leave you absolutely destitute.”
“You can’t do that,” she said, sticking her nose in the air.
“Oh, I absolutely can. Read the prenup. It has a fidelity clause. I’m not the only one that it applies to, dear.”
“I can fight that. I can ruin you.” She pointed one of her long red claws at my father.
“Let me explain to you exactly how this is going to go down. You’re a bright woman, I’m sure you can follow. I will file for divorce, and then I will persuade every single lawyer worth his salt in the state to shun you.”