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"I don't hate either of my sons."
"Are you sure? Becausehere you are, trying to, I don't know… scare me or something? Why don’t you cut to the chase and save both of us some time.”
"I don't hate my son."
"Okay, sure, let's go with that. But you act like you're in competition with him. I don't understand it. I mean, why?"
His brow furrowed as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with me.
That's right, keep him on his toes.
"Where are you from?"
"Answering my question with a question,” I said. “I've seen that before. Usually with therapists. Are you working with a therapist, or do you just need one? Maybe it should be family therapy. I feel like it would do you lot a world of good."
He glowered at me. "You want me to cut to the chase, fine. We all know my son asked you to marry him so he could get his inheritance. I'm here to encourage you to do otherwise."
I understood what was really happening. "Oh my God, you're about to do that clichéd old rich people thing. You're going to walk in here, tell me I'm beautiful and smart, and I could do better.”
“What?”
“Oh, or are you going to do the thing where you tell me that I'm a street urchin and clearly a gold digger who is only after Saint’s money?
“Or what about this one… Are you going to try and fuck me? I mean, I feel like in the movies, it's usually one of those three things. Knowing the likes of you, you’ve probably tried out all three. Which is it to be tonight? I’ve seen all the movies, and I know how to respond accordingly."
"You are clearly insane, girl. What is it you want? I know it's not my son. I know what he's like in relationships, and he willnever be what you want him to be. Did you even know anything about him before your hasty engagement?"
I studied the older version of Jasper, wondering where in the DNA they had diverged. I couldn't see any obvious signs of differences. Saint was his father's twin in looks except for the gray in his hair and his beard.
"Atticus. It is Atticus, right?"
Saint's father lifted a brow. "Oh, are we on a first name basis? So it'll be the latter of your three scenarios then?" His voice dropped an octave in his attempt to go seductive, and I held back a shudder of revulsion.
"Whoa boy! Don’t get the wrong idea, Atticus. I want to be very clear. My name is not Elise, and you don't know your son at all. He's kind. He will literally lay down his life and give everything he has in him to protect the people he cares about. Hell, he’ll do it for strangers. He doesn’t believe in playing games. He’s direct. He’s honest. He’s everything you wish you could be. Let's not pretend for a moment thatyouknow anything about him. I'm just curious as to when you stopped giving a fuck about your children. Did it happen slowly over time, or were you just not ever that interested in kids? I mean, it's not my business, of course, except for the fact I will be yourdaughter-in-lawin just a few short weeks."
He strode forward then, but I held my ground. I knew if I ran now, he would expect me to run forever. I lifted my chin, because at the end of the day, I could take care of myself if forced to act. If he put a hand on me, he was going to regret that.
When he saw that I wasn't budging, he scowled. "Listen here, you halfwit, you know nothing about Elise. Nothing about that relationship. You don't know my son."
"Yes, I do. It’s you who doesn't know him. Now if you don't mind, can you please leave? I will tell Jasper that you were here,and that I just simply didn't feel safe alone here with you. In fact, I'd like your access to the penthouse revoked."
He sputtered and glowered. "You can’t cut me out of my own home."
"Your home?"
"Jasper grew up here. Well, here and at our country house. It's the house that comes with the board seat. My father-in-law saw to that."
I laughed then. "How does it feel knowing that all of this was courtesy of your father-in-law? It really must eat at you to know that your children are the ones on the board and that you have been made obsolete. Shelved because of your own actions."
I could tell the moment he knew he'd underestimated me. He'd thought he could make me run, but I wasn't going anywhere.
But maybe you should. After all, what the hell do you know about these people? All you know is that Jasper saved your life. Is the drama really worth it?
The longer I stared at his father, the more I knew without a doubt that the drama was absolutely worth it. Jasper had protected me, and now I was going to protect him.
Saint
Even before Kaya caught my eye, I knew my father had been there. Security at the front desk had called immediately, so I expected trouble. But when I walked in, Kaya just smiled at me from the couch. "Hey, how are you?"
