Page 94 of Angel

‘You’re angry, Angel, so I’ll overlook this little tantrum. As for you and Roxy, keep the charade going; don’t fuckin’ ruffle any feathers until I lock in my investors and seal my deal, hear? Do as I say, or -.’

He let the last word hover between us, his lips parting in a cruel smile.

‘Same old routine,’ I scoffed, leaning in to make him blink first. ‘You’ll threaten my family and my dad’s business again. I get it. You wield massive leverage in Nashville. You made that pathetic point clear months ago, but you don’t intimidate me.’

‘I don’t care; I’ll destroy you regardless if you don’t toe the line,’ Reese warned.

Nonetheless, his voice lacked real heft now as he spun on his heel.

‘You’ve got my heart all a flutter,’ I scoffed after him.

He stormed through the glass doors, leaving the patio in a cloud of affronted arrogance.

Good riddance.

I wasn’t playing the role of his failsafe with Evangeline anymore.

I walked back into the living room as the older man gathered his coat.

‘We’re leaving, Elsa,’ Reese barked, not waiting for his wife to respond.

He marched out, and Elsa sighed, moving slower than him, rising from the dining table.

‘Thank you honey for the lovely meal,’ she told Roxy as she hugged her. ‘Come round and see me soon.’

‘I will, mama.’

Elsa stepped to me, offering a fragile smile.

‘I’m sorry for his behavior, Angel.’

I softened my posture, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against her perfumed cheek. ‘Don’t worry about it, Elsa. You’re always welcome here. Him? Not so much.’

She gave me a wry, understanding smile, then walked out with her chin held high.

The door whispered shut behind them.

Roxy and I stood in the quiet foyer, exchanging a long glance.

‘What happened out there?’ Roxy asked, her brow furrowing.

‘Just your father trying to dictate our lives,’ I muttered, running a hand over my jaw as the lingering irritation buzzed under my skin. ‘He wants us to promise to keep our shit together so he can secure the sale of Rosedale Breeding to the Saudi investors. It makes me wonder why he’s so desperate for this cash injection. He’s acting like a man with a clock ticking over his head.’

I kept Evangeline’s name from our conversation, not wanting to poke that bear whatsoever.

Roxy leaned against the wall, a cynical chuckle escaping her lips.

‘He’s not the upstanding titan of industry he pretends to be. I know for a fact he had three significant commercial loans collapse over the last two years. Major corporate creditors are hounding his office.’

I smirked. The playing field just leveled out.

‘So, Reese Rosedale has a massive financial vulnerability, huh? He’s broke?’

‘He might be,’ Roxy speculated. ‘Mum and I have overheard conversations of him dodging his collectors.’

‘So how do we dig up what he might be hiding?’ I rasped, my mind racing. ‘We need proof to bring him down.’

Chapter 18