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“Matthew, please.” The pleading words came from my mother, her tone telling me to stand down.
“Let’s just go,” Reagan shook her head, the men in her family disappointing her once more. “It’s not worth it. Everyone’s watching.”
“That’s right. Leave again, daughter. That seems to be something you’re good at. The going gets tough and you flee.”
“And I’ll flee every damn time I can,” she spat, finally talking to her father. And the old man seemed to be taken aback by the way his daughter answered him. “If that’s what it takes to be away from you. Form both of you.”
“Your mother would be so disappointed in you, Reagan. Remember that it’s your fault she’s dead. So if I were you, I’d give something back to the family to compensate.”
“She would be proud of me for standing up for myself. I’m happy here, Daddy. I don’t need you. And if you think I’m coming back, you’re wasting your time.”
“Then come back home for me, Reagan.” I almost threw my head back laughing at how pathetic he sounded. He thought that trick was going to work on her. After he left his sister to fend for herself in the hands of their asshole of a father while she was grieving the loss of her mother?
“Making an excuse again, Ryan? The last time you did this, you slept with someone you shouldn’t have.” She smirked at her brother, knowing damn well it would be a hit to his ego. Then she squeezed my hand, pulling me along with her. And we made our attempt to leave. “Let’s go, Matthew.”
“So you’re turning your back on your family so you can continue to warm this fucker’s bed?”
I couldn’t stop myself as I let go of Reagan’s hand and twisted my body to swing my fist at the man who had once ruined everything for me. He stumbled back, surprised at the impact of my angry strike. Then he fell on his ass, but I didn’t give him the time to register what was going on before I grabbed him by the collar of his suit and forced him to stand.
“Matthew!” I heard Reagan yell but I wasn’t going to let these men talk to her like that. She had been so busy protecting herself here from rude guests and nosy staff, that I wasn’t about to let her lose her feisty spirit over this one.
“Son!” my own father yelled, grabbing my shoulders, and pulling me away. But I shrugged him off. “Stop it!”
“You don’t come into my hotel to disrespect me and the people I love, Ryan!” I spat at his face before I shoved him back. At least he didn’t fall on the floor again, otherwise, I would have had secondhand embarrassment for him. I turned on my heel again, which was a mistake because Ryan had taken the opportunity to throw in a hit.
“You asshole!” he yelled and just as I turned to see what was happening, his knuckles collided with my cheek, and my head snapped to the side. All I saw was red after that, and chaos exploded as I threw countless punches towards Ryan.
I heard the screams of people telling me to stop. But the asshole had done it. I had spent years longing to hit this fucker in the face. And it felt mighty fine to do so now.
“Ryan! No! Stop it!” Reagan called when Ryan tried to throw in another punch. “Call security. Please! Someone, call security!”
“You’re going to wish you didn’t come back from Bali.”
We were now on the floor, me on top of him, his nose bleeding and his lips busted. I wasn’t going to kill him. A lawsuit wasn’t on my to-do list right now. But a little graze on his face wasn’t going to hurt.
“I’m going to make you rot in jail. Just like what you did to me,” he threatened.
“Daddy do something!”
“Stay out of this, Reagan.”
The shrill note in Reagan’s voice told me she’d had enough. Her sobs filled my ears and I stood up from the floor and moved away from him. But the asshole stood up from the floor and he wasn’t stopping. He charged and I tried to shield myself with my arm. I didn’t know how it happened, maybe Ryan slipped or somehow lost his footing but his fist went past me and the thing I heard next was Reagan’s yelp, followed by a loud thud. A collective gasp echoed in the room.
“Fuck! Reagan—” Ryan yelled and when I looked down, Reagan was cupping her face, terror and pain on her face as she looked up at her brother before tears started to roll down her cheeks. The impact of Ryan’s punch sent her to the floor.
“No! Get away from me!” she sobbed.
“You fucker!” I pushed Ryan away from us and he stumbled back, staring at his sister who he had just punched in the face. “Are you okay, darling?” She didn’t answer me but she grabbed my hand and pushed herself up, her body shaking.
Then she gave her family one last look furious look, and shook her head in disappointment before storming out of the hall, crying.
“Look what you just did, Matthew,” Ricardo called.
“I didn’t do shit.”
“You’ll hear from our lawyers first thing tomorrow, boy.”
“Try me, St. James,” I challenged. “I know secrets about you that would make Ryan’s scandal look like a joke. I know that child neglect is punishable by law, Richard. And so is physical abuse.” I stared as I said this.
