He didn’t look the least bit fazed. “Maisie, we both know you’d never survive on your own, so just stop, okay? Quit being difficult. You had your fun. You slept with the help, and now you’ve got it out of your system.”
Axel lunged at him again, and that’s when she noticed Walker was still here because he pulled him back.
Bryce flinched but tried to cover it up with smarmy confidence. “I’ve got several business deals coming up, and it would be really helpful to show everyone that I’m married so I look like a responsible guy. Your parents want this, my parents want this, and it’s going to be beneficial to all of us.”
“To all of us? Except for me, right? I’m the only one who isn’t getting anything out of this. Or have you forgotten that?”
Lowering the ice pack, he grinned in a way that made her skin crawl. “You’ll benefit because no one else is knocking down your door to marry you. We all know it. Your parents are looking to unload you, and I’m willing to take you on. You’ll have a nice house, an allowance, and someone who doesn’t mind all…” Using his hand, he motioned to her body. “Of that.”
Axel cursed loudly, but Walker kept him in place.
Bryce paused, gently touching his face. “Although from the looks of that guy…” He motioned toward Axel. “He doesn’t seem to have an aversion to big girls either. Then again, he’s trash, so it’s all the same to him probably. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.”
Her hand reached out and cracked across his face before she even realized she was doing it. Bryce was instantly on his feet, his hand tightly grasping her wrist, twisting it hard, making her cry out.
“You little bitch!”
Whatever he planned on doing, Connor, Walker, and Axel put an end to by immediately stepping between them. Axel grabbed Bryce by the throat and leaned in menacingly.
“Don’t you ever lay a hand on her again!” he said in a commanding voice. “You’re in no position to come here on private property and talk to Maisie or anyone like that, do you understand me?”
“You were supposed to get him out of here,” Connor snapped at Walker. “I said I’d handle this.”
Luckily, Axel released him—roughly—before going back and standing against the wall.
“You need to leave. Now,” Connor said, taking charge of the situation again.
Bryce laughed mirthlessly. “You think I don’t know who you are, Winslowe? Yeah, I’ve seen you around, and I also know you’ve been asking a lot of questions about me. What the hell business is it of yours?”
“Maisie’s a friend,” Connor said evenly. “And I would hate to see her end up with someone like you.”
That just made Bryce laugh again. “Someone like me? You mean rich? Powerful?”
“No, I mean a sociopath with a history of abusing women,” Connor leveled back at him. “I guess it’s rather convenient that your family has enough money to keep buying these women off. Personally, I believe you should be in jail by now, letting some big, burly guy named Tank do to you what you’ve done to all those women.”
It looked like Bryce paled slightly.
Connor stepped in threateningly. “Leave Maisie alone, or your private history will be made very public.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. No one can say anything. They’ve all signed NDAs. Money buys people's silence, so…”
“You’re disgusting,” she spat. “Of all the people in the damn world, why does my family think so highly of you?”
“Because I’m a Chadsworth,” he replied. “We’re a powerful family, and your father wants to do business with us, and we’d like to do business with him. Our marriage just ensures that it happens.”
She hated being a pawn in a game that had nothing to do with her.
Bryce turned to Connor. “Maisie leaves with me now or I’ll own this pathetic little resort. Trust me. I can make it happen and happen fast.”
“Why?” she cried. “What do Connor or the resort have to do with anything?”
He sneered at her. “Because it clearly means something to you and that person you’ve obviously been sleeping with.” And with another glance at Connor, he added, “And Mr. Winslowe needs to learn to mind his own damn business.”
With her jaw practically on the floor, she couldn’t understand why Connor was allowing this. Why wasn’t he arguing? Why wasn’t he standing up for himself? For the resort? For her?
“Listen, Bert,” Connor finally said.
“It’s Bryce,” he corrected.
