AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What the actual fuck is this?" I laugh, unable to help myself when I hear those kinds of words come from a mouth like hers. She is supposed to be a proper southern belle, but here she is in public saying the F word. "Do you think this is real?" she asks me, and it's a good point. I imagine in her world photos like this are doctored all the time. But I don't think anyone would dare send such a thing directly to me, a Clan leader, without checking all their sources and crossing their Ts.
“Yes, unfortunately, I do think it is. Did you know anything about this?" I hate that I have to ask, but I may not be as good at reading her body language yet as I would like.
"No, not only did I have no idea that he swung that way, but I had no idea he was even cheating on my mother. This makes him even a bigger hypocrite than I realized. He has always been so unsupportive of the LGBTQ community and has slammed my open mindset for years. His entire platform is preaching conservative values and going to church. All of his friends and backers are Christian. And yet, all this time he has been hiding in the closet?" She sits back in her seat and slumps over, beginning to chew on one of her nails. I wait to see if she has any ideas on how she wants to handle this because I realize that this is not just about me and in fact would hurt me very little. This is what worries me the most about this message is the fact that it's directed at her entirely. Which either means that person trying to get at me is really trying to get to her, or the person is somehow aware that my relationship with Presley is something that is a weakness to me. I wanted a partner but not a weakness.
In the mafia, weakness gets you killed. Sometimes even by your own family.
"If this shit gets out the whole family legacy is going to go to hell. It's already bad enough that he spews hate everywhere he goes and tries to put on this facade and make his children these perfect little robots. But now that's going to take on a whole new meaning if people see that he has been a gay man this whole time on the down low while preaching to others that this lifestyle is unacceptable. He could lose everything; the whole family could. I mean, doesn't he think about us at all before he acts?"
I sigh, sympathizing with her. I reach out and place my hand on top of hers. Logically, I don't know why I do it. She's already a dangerous part of me, making me vulnerable and getting me into trouble with my enemies, so why would I want to form such a deep connection right now? I can enjoy her defiance without falling in love with her. And I'm afraid if I let myself go there that I will lose her anyway in the end, whether it be to death or when she finds out what I actually did to get her here.
“Look, if there is anyone who understands father issues, it's me. My father's expectations are something that I can never agree with. He too often puts on the mask in front of others to portray this toughness and ruthlessness so everyone will be afraid of him and won’t ever cross him. But that means having no love for those close to him, including his own son."
"I'm sorry," she whispers, flipping her hand over so that she can squeeze mine. I try not to pull my hand away too fast, but I kind of feel like someone just placed an iron on my skin. I can't lose sight of what I am supposed to be doing here.
"So, what do you want to do about it?” I ask her, curious to hear what she comes up with. After all, I've already seen her steal my gun and shoot her childhood friend in the head, splattering her brains all over my office. I think that anything she chooses is going to be interesting at the very least.
She leans up, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, I married you,” she begins, a grin coming to her face as she places her chin into her hand, “I want you to do something for me now."
I cough and shake my head. "And what exactly is that? I feel like I've done plenty for you already." My words have an edge once more as I try to hide the effect of this date has had on me.
"I want you to take that never-ending supply of money of yours, buy my father's company, and name me CEO."
I run my hand through my hair thinking about what she has just asked me to do. As if I didn't have enough assets already, I would be adding the biggest oil company in the state of Texas to that. My power would rival that of Ion's. That sounds like an offer I can't refuse; that's exactly what I need to give Mr. Richards as well. "You have a deal."
