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My friend’s face scrunches up, clearly not wanting to give up. “I thought you wanted to make him pay for forcing Summer to leave. For keeping her whereabouts to his-damn-self!”
I exhale heavily, scrubbing my hands down my face. “It’s like my father said on the jet. Life is too short. I’m done. I just want to be happy.”
I clap my hand on his shoulder, levelling him with a determined stare. “I’mchoosingto be happy, Ford.”
Shaking his head slowly, he blows out a breath. “That asshole is not going to make it easy for you, Cade. I can guarantee you your contract is air-fucking-tight.” Ford’s brows knit together in concern.
“He can do and say what he wants. I’m done being his goddamn puppet. He took advantage of me at my lowest. Steered me towards a life I hadnointerest in living, and has made a fucking fortune off my damn back.”
“Caden?”
I turn at the sound of Bree’s voice calling to me, holding up a stalling hand as I call out. “One second.”
I turn back to Ford and continue my rant, needing to say the words. “He knew where she wasall this time. He’s a lying bastard, and I’m done playing nice with him. He can do his worst. I’m ready.”
The front door slamming earns our joint attention before Ford can respond.
Footsteps across the marble tiles resound with aclick click, getting closer and closer until the new arrival rounds the corner into the open-plan kitchen and stops dead in his tracks.
My mother breezes into the kitchen, coming to a halt when she spots the newcomer. “Noah, dear! So glad you could make it.” She air-kisses his florid cheeks, waving her hands about excitedly. “Come on, I need to introduce you to our Jesse.”
My soon-to-be ex-manager smiles saccharinely before nodding gently. “Be out in a sec, Clary.”
Mum spins on her heel, pleased as punch with her party organising skills and none the wiser of the wolf in sheep's clothing who she’s invited into the fold.
“I’d say it’s nice to see you, Cade, but, well…” Noah trails off, depositing his briefcase on the kitchen counter before huffing a dark laugh. “Well, to be honest, you’re being a real pain in my goddamn ass lately.”
He stops, chuckling to himself exaggeratedly. “I see your shitstorm followed you from London only to gain momentum in Manhattan.”
He stops suddenly, holding up his hands in front of his face to clap slowly. “Bravo, Cade. Bra-fucking-vo! I’ve never quite seen the like before. You’ll notice the shit hitting the fan results in a lot more mess when I’m not cleaning it up after you.”
“I don’twantorneedyour help, Noah. I’m—”
Cutting me off, he carries on as though he hasn’t heard me in the slightest. “I’d offer my condolences on the passing of your wife—”
I repay the favour and cut him off with a hiss. “Ex-wife. And I’ll kindly ask you to keep your damn mouth shut. My daughter is present and doesn’t need any further unpleasant memories of her mother.”
He shrugs as though he’s not got a care in the world before he shucks his jacket and rolls up his shirt sleeves.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a long-lost kid I need to meet.”
CHAPTER35
CADEN
“I wantedto punch him right in his smug fucking face.”
I blow out a breath as I shake out my palms, needing to do something to stop from clenching my fists. The overwhelming desire to strike out at Noah Spellman as he watches me from across the enormous entertainment patio my parents custom-built is at a fever pitch.
Henry steps into my line of vision, blocking Spellman’s view of me. “There’s a time and a place, man.”
There’s a warning tone in my friend’s voice that matches the severity in his eyes. “I think it was a mistake to show your hand, Cade. I can’t lie.” His brow crinkles deeply in concern. “Spellman isn’t a man to be crossed, and he’s not going to let you off the hook easily. You should have spoken to someone first before you told him you wanted to quit.”
I shake my head impatiently. “I won’t live this way any longer, brother. He’s a manipulative piece of shit; I can see that at last. I’m finally going to live my life. The life hestolefrom me.”
Exhaling heavily, I can’t stop a frown from appearing on my face. “I’ll let sleeping dogs lie because, as Dad says, life is too short. But Irefuseto play by his rules anymore.”
“Okay, North. I hear you…please just remember, Spellman is a damn shark. He’s shrewd, calculating, and utterly selfish. I wouldn’t underestimate how far a man like that would be willing to go to retain control.”
