Eve should not feel her heart go pitter-pat, but... Gabe’s body was coiled, his face set in hard lines. He looked scary and intimidating, not the funny gentle giant he usually came off as.
And he was outraged on her account. Hers.
Like a prince, rushing to her rescue.
“Gabe. Hunter.” Genuine amusement appeared in Brendan’s gaze and he turned his attention to Tani. It took a second for Eve to recognize the emotion in the smaller woman’s eyes.
Fear.
“The housekeeper’s kid?” A malicious smile curved Brendan’s lips, and Eve leaned forward, terrified of what she feared her father would say next.
He couldn’t know. If he did know, he’d keep his mouth—
“Robert’s bastard?”
Chapter 25
The entire table stilled. Gabe’s ears buzzed, like someone had slammed their fist into his face.
Livvy was the first to speak. “You hate my father so much,” Livvy whispered, “you would make up a lie like that?”
“You mean you don’t know? It’s not a lie.” Brendan gestured at Gabe. “That boy’s your half-brother. Raised right beside you, in your own house, under your mother’s nose.”
“Mom,” Jackson murmured. His fingers shifted next to Gabe’s on the table. “Mom, is this true?”
Gabe couldn’t bear to hear Tani confirm the accident of his birth. “It’s...”
“No.” Sonya tossed her napkin in her plate. “Baby, you don’t have to dignify these lies. Come on.”
Gabe softened. His mother’s face was taut with anxiety and fear. For him. She might have wanted him to come clean to Livvy and Jackson, but not like this.
It was okay, though. Brendan had already taken the choice of confessing his ancestry out of his hands. The least he should get to do was confirm it. “It’s true.” The words hurt. “I’m Robert’s biological son.” He dared to glance at Jackson. For once, the younger man’s emotionless mask had slipped. He was staring at Gabe with horror and disillusionment.
Another punch, this time to the gut. He’d known, though, hadn’t he? He’d known Jackson and Livvy probably weren’t going to welcome him into the family with open arms.
“How dare you.”
The word fell with the weight of a thousand pounds of rage. Tani came to her feet, her small body vibrating. “You monster.”
Brendan’s nostrils flared.
“You’re wrong, Olivia. He doesn’t hate Robert. He never did, did you, Brendan?” Her eyes grew wet. “It’s me you hate. I’m the reason you can’t stand Olivia marrying your precious son.”
Brendan came to his feet as well and braced his hands on the table. “Don’t flatter yourself. I can hate your whole family.”
“I’ve had enough of all these dramatics,” John said weakly.
“I’m sorry. I think we need one more minute of drama,” Tani said. “Don’t we, Brendan.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’ve been quiet. Out of respect for your children and mine and...” Tani’s gaze slipped over Gabe. “And mine. But no more. If you want to sell your shares, so be it. The rest of us together will buy every single one. Do not think for an instant that you can ever attempt to come between my daughter and her husband again. Because we both know what I know.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“I know you never really minded those rumors that Robert and Maria were having an affair. Because the truth would have hurt your precious image more.”
Brendan stilled. “Shut up.”
