“Jack. I was alerted you’d arrived.” The well-modulated tone of Margo Blackstone drifted to me.”
At least she was pleasant for a change.
JACK
I hadn’t lived here in seven years, and my visits had been sporadic at best in that time. Now, because of my sister and work, I’d come back. As long as Grandmother was an active part of the company, I had little choice.
Since she worked from home and wanted to see the final concept for the BlackRock renovation, I’d decided to drop it off at the house. Yeah, her architects had finally gotten their act together and given me what I wanted.
She sat behind her finely crafted white desk, paperwork spread out in front of her. The frosty hues of the study done up in white and pale green matched her personality. Her desktop remained in sleep-mode on the L-shaped desk, along with her laptop. She rarely used them, preferring paper to digital.
Too bad. I wasn’t lugging around huge plans and 3D concepts for her.
Without a word to her, I left the USB with the proposals on her desk and turned to leave.
“Jack, wait.”
Hell, I just wanted to get out of here. I glanced back, my expression cool. Dispassionate brown eyes skimmed over me before she logged onto her desktop. I slid my hands into my pockets and stared out through the window. Being in this study always brought back memories of that day, seven years ago, when I’d found out the truth…
Another argument, this time about my father’s personal possessions, which she had disposed of. They should have come to me.
“You are well rid of his belongings.” Her gaze grew colder. “Your father never lived up to his name, a weak man. You follow in his footsteps, I already see it—your surfing, his regattas—the women. Your grandfather should know better than to allow you too much leeway.”
“Mother, p-please, don’t…” Mom begged, appearing at my side, tipsy again.
“Vivienne, why don’t you go and rest, dear? I’ll deal with the boy. You wouldn’t know how.”
Deal with me?
At eighteen, she still treated me with cold civility. But the acrid distaste in her tone gutted me. No matter how hard I tried, she always found faults. My chest constricting, I wheeled around and stormed out of her study.
“Jack, w-wait!” Mom’s footsteps echoed behind me. “Here.” She removed a key from her pants’ pocket. “In the basement, a mahogany chest. Your f-father’s things.”
Anger surged. She’d lied.
“Your grandmother doesn’t know I stored his personal belongings away,” she said.
Yeah, I’d found the old chest in the corner of the basement. Its contents had changed my life, and rocked the foundation of all I believed to be true—
“These will do.” Grandmother’s voice drew me back. Those cool, dark eyes fixed on me. “Jack, I understand that you want to enjoy sowing your…wild energy, but you do have to think of your future. And thatgirlis not it—”
“Leave her out of this! I’m not interested in your merger plans.” Teeth gritted, I pivoted.
“It will happen. You won’t bring shame to the family like he did—”
I wheeled back. “You still can’t say his name, can you? You kneweverything, and yetyouchose him for Mother?” I shook my head, so damned fed up with having the same dispute every time I saw her. “I’m not one of your puppets, Grandmother. Go find someone else to do with as you want.”
“Don’t take that tone with me. But bad blood always shows, doesn’t it? Andyouwonder why you can’t hold on to anything? Not the father you worshiped or the mother who spawned you.” The derogatory tone and cheap shot had my heart pounding. I stood there unable to move, pain and anger torquing my entire being. She would spew out the one thing that messed up my mind, threw me into a headlong path of anger and destruction—
Warm fingers threaded through my icy ones. I stared blankly into Ray’s compassionate gaze. “C’mon,” she whispered.
“You broughtherhere?” Grandmother snapped. “The help?”
“Don’t!” At my furious tone, she stilled, eyes narrowing as she leaned back in her chair.
Ray tugged at my hand, trying to drag me away. I could take a lot of shit from my grandmother, but not when she attacked Ray—the one person in this fucking world who made me feel like I was worth more than the damn dollars Grandmother coveted so much. “I don’t care what you think of me, but you will treat her with respect! She’s a part of my life. Get used to it.”
My grip tightening on Ray’s, I strode out, fury corroding my gut. I needed to get away from this fucking place before I lost my mind and smashed everything Margo valued into ruins.
