“I’ll find the pace in?—”
“Will you?” His laugh was sharp, cruel. “I thought fucking my daughter would be enough motivation to keep you in line, but clearly I was wrong.”
The air sucked out of the garage.
Someone gasped. Al’s eyes widened. Milo dropped the tool he was holding, the clang echoing in the sudden silence.
My brain stuttered. Processing the words. Rearranging them. Trying to make them mean something other than what they obviously meant.
But no. He’d actually just said that. Out loud. In front of everyone.
“Don’t—”
“Don’t what? Tell the truth?” Julian’s smile was vicious. “You’ve been too busy playing house with that baby to focus on your job. Too exhausted to drive properly. And now Stefano’s making you look like an amateur while I’m stuck making excuses to the board about why my lead driver can’t even crack the top five in a practice session.”
Rage flooded through me, hot and sharp. “Watch yourself?—”
“No, you watch yourself.” He jabbed a finger at my chest. “Threatening her career kept her in line.”
Wait.
What the hell did he just say?
Keep her in line.
She’d been serious. She’d actually been serious when she’d told me he blackmailed her.
He’d used her education against her. The doctorate program she’d worked for. The career she’d sacrificed for. The future she’d put on hold to help me with Hazel.
And I’d dismissed her. Told her she was overreacting. That Julian wasn’t that bad. That she was catastrophizing because she was scared of losing control.
Fuck.
“You—” My voice cracked. “You threatened her?”
“It’s called leverage.” Julian shrugged like we were discussing tire strategy, not destroying his daughter’s life. “If you want to keep people where you want them, you need to control what matters to them. It’s basic management 101, Griffin.”
Basic management. That’s what he called holding his own daughter’s future hostage to make her obey.
“I simply expected her to do her part for the team. Family loyalty, Griffin. You of all people should understand that’s non-negotiable when there’s this much at stake.”
I’d told her everything was fine now. That her father approved of us. That she could relax because we had his blessing.
While he’d been threatening to destroy her.
And she’d done it. She’d followed almost every instruction he gave. Came to the races when he demanded. Stayed at my house when he ordered it. Played the perfect, obedient daughter in public.
She’d risked everything to protect my privacy.
Because she knew exactly what he was capable of.
And I’d called her paranoid.
The full scope of it hit me. Every moment I’d questioned why Violet had agreed so easily, why she’d stayed when she hated being in my world... None of it had been her choice. Not really.
My hands curled into fists. “You’re a bastard.”
“I’m practical.” He crossed his arms. “Something you’d understand if you weren’t so busy being sentimental about a woman who can’t even follow simple instructions.”
