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Men began to make their way over to us, greeting Pierce jovially. I heard more than a few congratulations. Already, I could see the phony plastic smiles, the fake affection in everyone’s eyes, and the men having dick measuring competitions. Women looked at me with envy and clear disdain, and for once, I couldn’t call them out on it.
With a slight turn of my head, my eyes met my father’s once more. His face was now blank, but his dark hues told me everything.
He was enraged and he had a right to be, but what about what he’d done with my sister? Or what he may have done to her? I had every reason to be just as upset. My father had just as many secrets as Pierce, if not more. That fact was depressing. If I couldn’t trust the people closest to me, who could I trust?
“Should we go say hello?” Pierce asked, keeping his hand intertwined with mine.
Not waiting for me to answer, he politely excused us from the conversation he’d been having and led me towards Seth.
The closer we got, the more nervous I became. He may have been angry with me, but when he looked at Pierce, the respect he’d once had for him was replaced with pure hatred.
You didn’t betray someone and not suffer the consequences. Pierce had to know that, which meant he still had something up his sleeve.
Tito moved silently behind us. A blonde-haired man just as intimidating had joined him. My father watched us approach. His eyes flickered between us, dropping to my hand, sizing up my ring.
“Willow.” He greeted me with cold indifference, like I was a stranger. His hands remained clasped in front of him, resting against his slacks. “Pierce,” he addressed with an edge to his tone.
“Seth, I figured you’d have a more open arms approach to seeing your missing daughter,” Pierce goaded him with a smile on his face.
I bit my tongue to stop myself from demanding he tell me what was going on. I’d have to wait until we were alone. I couldn’t make a scene in a room full of people.
“Well, it seems to me she wasn’t missing at all. It looks like she was playing house. I’m guessing you have Abigail as well?”
“Actually, Jax has Abigail. They couldn’t be here this evening.”
I glanced at Pierce from the corner of my eye. His actions were mind-boggling to say the least. Seth was not a powerless man. How could he stand in front of him and so openly confess to all he’d done?
They eyed one another and it was suddenly obvious to see the cauldron of secrets and deceit bubbling between them. It wasn’t until that very moment that I was struck with the severity of my situation. Standing with the two men I adored, pieces of my heart slowly chipped away.
This could only end in blood. Whichever way things panned out, I would lose one and then the other because of my actions. But whose side did I take? Who did I choose if-when-it came down to the wire?
A decision that should have been a no brainer suddenly seemed as terrifying as climbing Mt. Everest.
As if he could sense the turmoil churning inside my head, Pierce leaned in and said, “I’ll give you two a moment alone,” kissed my cheek in a false show of affection and walked off. He was just full of surprises this evening. Why would he leave me alone with Seth? It’s not like we were going to hug it out and go grab drinks.
“That’s where you’ve been this whole time? Do you know how many men I’ve killed? How much time I’ve spent trying to find you? And you’re happily fucking my business partner?” He spoke low but I heard the malice in his tone. His words didn’t hurt me as much as his reaction to seeing me again.
He had every right to be angry.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what things were like in his shoes right now, the humiliation he must be feeling.
Pierce Serban had always been forbidden. The seductive villain in all my dirty fantasies.
I was never supposed to want him the way I did. I’d ignored the warnings and let him have me knowing all of this. Now, I was here, and he still hadn’t asked if I was okay. He didn’t ask if this is what I truly wanted. I wondered why he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. Why was it always so easy to believe the bad about someone before accepting the good?
As we faced off, I knew defending myself would be a moot point, like beating a dead horse. His mind was already made up. It pissed me off. I had a plethora of reasons to be just as angry as him.
