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He mentioned the lawsuit several times over the past few weeks, but never that he was worried about losing everything. My father’s empire must have been a backup plan. How far would he have gone to get his hands on his money and power?
Lochlan’s bedroom is empty by the time I get changed in mine and crawl into the bed that feels empty without him. Toni appears a moment later with a glass of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a cordless heating pad.
“Thank you. I could’ve found all this, though. It’s not your job to wait on me,” I remind them.
“I don’t mind. You’re more than a job to us, girly. We’re your friends. We’re here for you whenever you need us.”
“Thank you,” I whisper again, unable to express how much their words mean to me.
“And our job is to keep you from all harm, even menstrual cramps,” Toni adds.
“I hate them,” I mutter as I swallow down two pills. “I can’t play tennis and Lochlan is angry…”
“He’ll get over it,” Lena pipes up from behind Toni. Stepping up beside the other guard, she adds, “The man worships the ground you walk on.”
“He only wanted to get married for the lawsuits,” I admit to them. “Being a husband looks better than a single philandering brothel owner.”
“Perhaps that’s how it started, but Lochlan’s head over heels in love with you now,” Lena tells me.
“Then why hasn’t he told me he loves me?”
“Because he’s a man, and men can be stupid and stubborn because they hate being vulnerable. Especially men like Lochlan. He probably thinks admitting that he loves you will make him look weak.”
“My father isn’t weaker since he fell in love with Vanessa,” I remark. “He might be slightly less violent, but he would burn the world down for her.”
“And Lochlan would do the same for you,” Toni says. “That doesn’t have anything to do with the lawsuits.”
“I don’t know what to believe. My dad is coming by later,” I tell them as I stare down at my phone that doesn’t have any messages from Lochlan. Not that I expected any. “I might sleep until he gets here, so will you have someone wake me when he arrives?”
“Sure thing, girly,” Lena agrees. “Get some rest and try not to stress too much about Lochlan’s motives. You love him. He loves you. The rest isn’t worth worrying about.”
40
Lochlan
Iknew it was bullshit when Sophie told me she loved me. It was only hours ago and now she’s leaving. By the time I finished packing, her room was empty. She may have already left. I refuse to check my phone for notifications. I don’t want to know. Because if she left, this time I won’t go after her. I’m done chasing Sophie. If she doesn’t want to be married to me, then I won’t force her to stay for a second longer.
And I can’t fucking believe Salvato is already shitting on our agreement. He may have been a long-term backup plan, but being his heir was better than no backup plan whatsoever. My only hope now is to settle with a little something left for me to live on until I figure out a new plan. Honestly, I think I would be relieved if I have to sell the brothels. Fuck them all. And fuck my father’s legacy.
I thought I needed to keep the money flowing in to prove my father was wrong about me being a failure. But fuck him. The things people had to do to make him his fortune are fucking disgusting. I know from experience how it feels to be used, bought, and sold. I always thought my failure would result in me going broke and ending up back in the whore house to keep a roof over my head. I thought that was why my asshole father made me spend a month in that hellhole. But he didn’t do it to educate me on the inner working of his brothels or to teach me a lesson. He left me there to break me because he was a sick fuck who just enjoyed inflicting pain on others.
Every time I step foot inside one of the brothels and the smell of sweat, cum, and rubbers assaults me, my father wins. And I’m done letting him screw with me from the grave.
The bombing was my wake-up call to use my second chance at life to be a better man. It took finding a good woman, but I’m finally starting to get there. In fact, I feel damn good about the idea of selling everything my father ever touched. Starting over. I’m just not sure if Sophie will be by my side afterward or not.
First things first, I have to get through this meeting in LA and then I’ll figure out what to do about my wife. Maybe Salvato was right, and Sophie was too young to marry. I rushed her into the wedding, knowing I didn’t deserve her.
She may not ever believe me, but I always wanted her more than I wanted to be Salvato’s successor. Needed her more than I ever needed to save my family’s fucked up legacy, even if I didn’t realize it until now.
Hopefully, it won’t be too late to work things out when I get home. If she needs time, I’ll give her time, as much of it as she needs.
Now where the fuck is Wolfe and Wade?
I’m waiting outside for them to bring around the SUV, debating whether or not I should suck up my pride, find Sophie, drop to my knees, and beg her for another chance when a sedan pulls up in the driveway. My brother, dressed in ripped jeans and an inside out shirt climbs out of the back seat with a backpack over his shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” I snap at Flynn as he approaches me, and the car drives off.
“It’s my house too. I can’t come over and go for a swim in my father’s pool?”
