Page 141 of Discretion at Its Finest

Chapter fifty-three

Killian

“Okay, what the actual fuck!?” Blaine yelled into the silence of the grand living room, shattering the already fragile tension hanging in the air. I mentally cursed him as the moment was cut short.

It was a lot to process.

Too much to tell and too much left unsaid.

Thirty minutes ago, Genevieve had entered the estate, lightening the already cheerful mood as Brielle and the children swarmed her. But the house had gone silent after the introduction of the man beside her. Genevieve mustered up the courage to explain to her daughter who he was, a look of shame and guilt across her face as she could barely keep herself together.

Across from me, Brielle stood stiff beside the fireplace, shoulders tight, breath shallow. From the look in her eyes, I could tell she’d understood the explanation of her mother well enough. Her eyes held confusion, maybe even a bit of anger, and worst of all, betrayal.

My jaw clenched as I watched her.

Genevieve stood a few feet away, hands trembling, eyes shining with the kind of regret only a mother could wear. And beside her—

Reid Kaufman.

He was a ghost, a myth. A billionaire who’d supposedly died or vanished into thin air.

But men like him… like us didn’t just disappear without a trace for decades without a reason. He controlled Silicon Valley from his nonexistence, but I, Killian Russel, didn’t know he was alive? The most powerful man in the country? Nor did I know that he was the father of my wife…

Something wasn’t right.

He was staring at my wife like she was something delicate he wasn’t sure he deserved to have. At that moment, she wasn’t.

I stepped closer to her without thinking, my palm finding the small of her back as she trembled beneath my touch. His eyes followed the action, before they landed on mine.

The children had already been ushered to the East Wing with Delilah and Archer. Conversations like this had no place near them. Though God knows part of me wished I’d sent Blaine along with them, too.

“What is even going on?” he barked again, looking between all of us like we were auditioning for a soap opera. Maia, his wife, whispered something to him, her hands desperately trying to pull him away from the middle of the tension. He scoffed instead, throwing up his own hands instead. “Is someone going to say something or—”

“Blaine.” My voice snapped through the room.

Finally, he clamped his mouth shut.

I turned back to Brielle, her hands shaking, fingers wringing themselves raw in an attempt to stay calm, her breathing tight and shallow. Her eyes fixed somewhere between her mother and the man she’d never met. Signs of her going into a panic attackwere getting stronger, and dammit, I was about ready to cancel this entire evening and kick everyone the fuck out of our home.

I tried to get through her stubborn little mind. “Brielle… breathe, sweetheart,” I whispered, but she ignored me, arms crossed now, shoulders hunched like she was hiding herself unintentionally.

She swallowed hard. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice barely made it past her lips.

“Brielle…” Genevieve’s voice cracked. “Honey, I’m sorry. I-I couldn’t… I—”

“You couldn’t what?” Brielle whispered. “You couldn’t trust me to know who my father was? You couldn’t muster up the courage to tell me who I really was? You couldn’t—”

“She couldn’t tell you because she wasn’t allowed to,” Reid’s voice cut her off, and Brielle’s eyes found his. “Don’t put the burden entirely on her… please.”

“So I should blame you then?” The words were harsh exiting her mouth, anger sitting heavily on her tongue.

Reid didn’t even flinch. “You can blame me,” he said quietly. “If it makes this easier for you, I’ll take it.” Genevieve looked up at her husband, tears spilling down her face as he stood against the brewing storm.

Brielle blinked fast, her chest still rising in short, tight breaths. I felt her sway and pressed my palm firmer against her lower back.

“Brielle,” I murmured, “sweetheart—”

“You knew about me,” she continued, eyes locked onto Reid’s, her voice suddenly sharp.