AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Templeton Group was the family empire – a conglomerate of corporations that the family owned, which Connor had been shut out of when he went rogue years ago and started his own competing businesses.
Connor’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Awww… you mean that she didn’t just marry Vincent for love?”
I gritted my teeth. There was no use trying to reign Connor in. Basically the only option left to me was to enforce my ‘no nookie’ ban for his bad behavior.
Mr. Templeton glared at his son. “I would think you of all people would not treat this as a joking matter.”
Connor smirked. “Why? Because I’m going to love watching her tear you guys apart?”
“No. Because she’s going to use the resources of my various companies to tear you apart.”
That was it. The gauntlet had been thrown down. The knives were out, and playtime was over.
“And you’re going to sign off on it,” Connor sneered.
Mr. Templeton returned to eating his meal. “No, I won’t. But she’ll do it after I’m gone.”
The offhanded casualness of the comment threw me.
It threw Connor, as well. After all, it’s never easy to hear your father discuss his own death.
There was a shift in the air as Connor switched from open aggression to mild distress. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Why not? We both know the truth. Your mother, strong as she is, isn’t a businesswoman. And Vincent is a weakling. Miranda will overpower them both and ransack everything for her own gains… which will undoubtedly include destroying you.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Connor said. “I meant… don’t talk about it like you’re going to die soon.”
Mr. Templeton looked amused. “Why not? You don’t care.”
Connor frowned. “That’s not true.”
His father sat there contemplatively for a few seconds before he answered. “You did save me in Mexico.”
“I did.”
The older man narrowed his eyes. “Why? I never asked you that. Why did you do it?”
Connor took a long time to answer. When he finally did, the expression on his face wasn’t one of love or affection; it was one of discomfort.
“…you’re my father.”
There were a few more seconds of silence. Then Connor cleared his throat. “And quit talking about dying. You’re not going anywhere.”
“One never knows. You had a brush with death, as I recall.”
Connor looked grateful for the chance to return to sarcasm. “Yeah… thanks to your daughter-in-law.”
Mr. Templeton concentrated on his food and refused to look up at us.
“Not even going to defend her, huh?” Connor smirked. “I guess that’s progress.”
“I don’t know if she did it or not,” Mr. Templeton said quietly. “But I do know now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she is entirely capable of such a thing.”
Connor glanced over at me. For a man who prided himself on his poker face, the look of surprise on Connor’s face was remarkable.
I remembered what Mr. Templeton had said to me in the hospital, after Connor had been shot by a mysterious assassin:
I am terrified that I might have actually brought the devil himself into my house… You have to make sure he knows that I never would have done anything like this. His mother, his brother – none of us knew what lengths she might go to.
