AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He grins. “With a rest in pieces sign for his death. I even had a plate made specifically for the occasion that said ‘unbeloved father and married to a plastic gold digger.’ Susan had it destroyed, for obvious reasons.”
“You do realize all these shenanigans with Susan are useless, right? You have the house, the upper hand, and more money to crush her. Wouldn’t it be better to let her and, therefore, your grudge go?”
“Not until she becomes a beggar on the side of the street. Just like the day she came into this family. In fact, I’ll take this a step further and make her kneel on my mother’s grave and beg for her forgiveness. Maybe then I’ll let her go.”
I see it then. Hatred, anger, and all the negative emotions that shouldn’t exist within one person. “Oh my God. Is this your way of doing something for your mother now because you had no power when you were young?” He remains silent, but I know I hit the nail on the head. “It is, isn’t it? It’s why you refuse to let the Susan thing go. You’re stuck in the past.”
“That makes two of us, because the mere mention of your father turns you into a trembling leaf.”
“My father is alive and a very serious threat.”
“So what? Unless you want to go down that road, I suggest you don’t go sniffing near my closet. My skeletons don’t concern you.”
I purse my lips and he takes it as a hint that I’ve dropped it.
Damn the asshole. He tells me I’m stubborn, but he’s as headstrong as a bull.
When I say nothing, he motions at the counter. “Sit down. The food will be ready in a bit.”
“I’m not really hungry…I wouldn’t say no to a drink, though.”
“You will be eating, and there will be no drinking alcohol under my roof.”
“Why the hell not? You have a wine cellar the size of Texas and with as much precious liquor as its oil wells.”
“Didn’t know you read articles about me.”
“It’s…a known fact.”
“The better known fact is that you’re bordering the line of being an alcoholic with your daily drinking habits and even going to the lengths of disguising a drink as coffee. You’ll quit that habit.”
“Too bad you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“In my house, I do. Besides, your drinking while on the clock is enough reason to take your ass to the board and report you to the bar. Maybe you’ll have a wake-up call when your license is in jeopardy.”
“So this is what you’ve been doing all this time? Finding out my weakness so you can boot me from W&S and even from practicing law?” I knew I shouldn’t have let the bastard see the secret parts of me. He’s no different than a snake who slithers to its victim, and when it comes in for the kill, it’s already too late.
“If I wanted to boot you, I would’ve started the process.”
“But you’re threatening me.”
“I’m not threatening you, I’m pointing out your unhealthy drinking habits that you need to get rid of. And don’t give me that victim speech. I don’t give a fuck about your success rate or how many clients you have under your belt. If you’re drinking on the clock, it affects your productivity and could cost your clients more than they’ve bargained for.”
“It’s not like I get drunk or that I don’t have access to my brain. I just do it to numb unwanted thoughts that I can’t escape when I’m sober.”
“Still a no. Find a healthier coping mechanism.”
“Says the man who punches trees at night.”
“That doesn’t go against my codes of conduct as an attorney. Your drinking habits do. End of fucking story. Now, sit down.”
I glare at him. “And if I refuse, which, for the record, is a one hundred percent chance?”
“Then there’s a thousand percent chance that I’ll haul you onto my lap, further bruise that sore ass of yours, and eventually shove the food down your throat.”
I hate how my thighs clench at the image he paints in my head, and it takes all my self-control to hold on to my cool façade.
“Brute,” I mutter.
