“I will ruin you, Edmonds,” Lord Smith said behind me.
“I’m sure you would, but I suspect that we are both sinking ships. It’s up to you how quickly that occurs,” Edmonds said.
“That man is a damn pirate,” James hissed.
“Is he? Looks more like a handsome gentleman to me,” Oscar said behind me.
“Rose, what are you trying to accomplish here? You will ruin yourself and your family,” James said. “I agreed not to expose Oscar, but I won’t hesitate if you even think about telling-“
I smiled at Bash, feeling like it was only us there as he reached us. I should have paid attention to the faces around us to assess how to play the situation, but I was all his.
“Rosamund,” Bash said in that depthless voice of his.
For the barest of seconds, I closed my eyes and let myself fall into it. My captain.
“Hello again, Mr. Smith,” I said, lowering my head.
A small sound broke from him, and I let my smile grow. I liked to think this was torture for him. That the urge to touch me was slowly killing him. It only seemed fair since I was going to explode any minute if I didn’t feel his touch.
“I don’t know what you think you are doing, but this will not end well for you,” Lord Smith whispered.
Tension rippled around the room, everyone hanging on their last breath, hoping to catch a single word. After all, there was only lord Smith, and he had yet to claim an heir.
“Rose, think very carefully. I control North Star Line,” James said.
The anger that rose in me was not enough to keep the words from my mouth. One year ago, James tried to blackmail me into marrying him and tried to ruin our family. He deserved to know the truth of what his action wrought.
I twisted and faced the man I once loved before I saw what he truly was. A coward and a disgusting human.
“And who do you think it was that sank all your ships? Who do you think has been investing in your competition?” I hissed.
There it was. The first moment of understanding, and it was fucking beautiful. For one second, I understood why Bash would spend his entire life working to destroy one person because this feeling was intoxicating. It rose inside me and bloomed, threatening to break open my chest. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I didn’t even care if some of the effect was lost because this was for me. The things I’d done to get here were carved into my bones, and this was the payoff.
James’ eyes widened, and he searched my eyes before stepping forward and whispering into my ear.
“You lie. You expect me to believe-”
“If you want to leave here breathing, you will step away from her,” Bash growled.
“Oh fuck me,” Oliver whispered. “Can we move on to the part where we avoid more scandal.”
“If we must,” Edmonds sighed.
James looked from Bash to me and back again, and there it was. The dropping of his lips and the flash of pain in his eyes. Finally, all the pieces were aligned perfectly, and there was no pretending left to do. His hands balled into fists, and he pulled back his arm, but Edmonds slapped a hand to his shoulder, stilling him.
“Lord Smith, if you wouldn’t mind, I would be honored to introduce your nephew to your guests.” Edmond’s smile was wide and eager.
“My nephew,” whispered Smith, quite in shock and pale as a ghost.
I smiled up at Bash and watched understanding fall over him. All my carefully laid plans unfolding and blooming before my eyes. I couldn’t have said what I expected him to do. Be grateful? Laugh? Brood triumphantly?
All I knew was that I didn’t expect the red that came to his cheek and the narrowed eyes he flashed at me.
No, Sebastian Flynn was not impressed with my scheming; he was angry.
Chapter sixteen
A Lifetime of Revenge
