A sharp, hot anger pulses under my ribs.So this is how he talks to Laird.Calm.Judging.Cruel.
“I’m not desperate.It was my decision,” I say.
“Really?And Laird?Did you make him follow your decision too?Was working with Golden your idea?”His eyes narrow, dissecting me piece by piece like a hostile witness on the stand.
My heart races.My fingers sting from how hard I’m gripping the utensils.The knife and fork feel heavy now, and my appetite drops off the cliff.He’s blaming me for everything.He’s making me the scapegoat.
“He made his own decision,” I say quietly.
“Well, that’s unfortunate.Defiance is one thing.My ego is another.”He presses the knife harder, cutting the steak like he’s punishing it.He keeps slicing, jaw tight, almost enjoying the way I shrink under the pressure.A predator savoring the squirm.
“With all due respect, sir, is that what you think his life is about?Keeping your ego intact?He’s not your babysitter.”My voice is firm.Cold.My smile disappears.I’m done being polite.
He looks up sharply, eyes cutting right through me.“I guess I misjudged you.I thought you could put some sense into him.Looking at you now,” his hand flicks in a small wave toward me, like he’s presenting something beneath his standards, “clearly, I was wrong.”He sets his utensils down with slow, deliberate precision.
“Do you know how much work I’ve put into shaping him into the man he is today?And you keep dragging him in the wrong direction, just like when you were kids.I expected better, considering your parents are friends of mine.”
“Wrong direction?”My brow tightens.
“I know everything, and I still let it happen.I assumed the two of you would break up in minutes.”
I scoff, but he ignores it.Of course he does.
“I even treated your mother kindly.But you made him reject profitable partnerships.You caused issues with his boss.You dragged him into Golden’s mess.And now he’s knee-deep in pain because of you.”His voice rises, the shark surfacing fully now.He’s losing patience with my existence alone.
“Sir, I know we’re tangled in something big, but we did the right thing,” I say, my voice trembling even though I’m trying to stay steady.
“No.You’re just selfish.Chasing temporary thrills.”His tone spikes, like he’s raising an objection he knows will land.
That’s it.He doesn’t like me.He never has, and never will.And nothing I say or do will change that, the same way nothing Laird ever did earned him freedom or praise or even the right to breathe his own life.
I place my knife and fork upright in the center of the plate.A clean, polite signal.I’m done.
“I apologize, Mr.Evans.But you’ll have to live with your disappointment.I won’t break up with Laird.We love each other.And time has already proven that.”He opens his mouth to strike again, but I cut in first.“I’ll say it again whenever the moment calls for it.Laird is brilliant.He has a tremendously big heart.And he’s allowed to make his own choices as a grown adult.”
I lean forward slightly, voice crisp, spine unmoving.“If you think he’s a horse you can control with reins, you’re mistaken.And you should get your act together before you lose your son for good.And yes, I’ll be selfish.I’ll keep smiling with him until you’re sick of seeing it.”
“You wouldn’t dare.I can bend and break both your lives,” he growls.
“Oh, totally.I’ll tremble under my bed.”I push my chair back and stand.My nerves burn, but my voice stays low and clean.“But I’ll be with Laird.And you’ll be alone.”
I nod once.“Enjoy your meal, sir.Good day.”
38
Daddy Issues
Laird
Itake several deep breaths and let them out.I can’t help feeling uneasy, and a swarm of bad thoughts races through my head.My hands keep smoothing my tie or combing my hair.Hell, I can’t calm down.
This isn’t the first time my father goes this far.Using bodyguards to pick people up by force.Who the hell does he think he is?
I hate his methods.He’s called the shark of the legal world for a reason.This is how he operates: stalking, coercing, making people bend to his will until they’re crushed under Hugo Evans’ ambition.
He’s no better than a mob boss.And now he’s after Fenella.He flies from Boston to New York because of her.I just know it.
I have a pretty good idea what he wants from her.He wants to tell her to stay away, just like the girls I dated in university.Maybe he wants to grill her about the case involving me and Golden.
