Tani’s lips stretched up in the facsimile of a smile. “The truth is, Robert would never have been with Maria that night if I hadn’t sent him out to help her. Because she was trying to leave you.”
Eve drew in a breath. “Mom was leaving? Without me?”
Tani jerked out of the tense staring contest between her and Brendan. She turned to Eve, hand outstretched. “Eve, she wasn’t abandoning you. Your mother asked me to bring you to her, to the lake house. She had bags packed. She even had fake passports for both of you, because she’d tried to leave before and Brendan had stopped her. Once she was somewhere safe, she was going to tell you, Nicholas.” Tani’s tears overflowed. “I didn’t like to drive in the ice. So I called Robert, and I told him what was happening. He was going to help her, bring her to Eve, and get them to the airport. That was why he was speeding. That was why he was there. He was just trying to help our friend.” Her face crumpled, and she wilted into her chair.
Nicholas’s voice was raspy. “There was no baggage or fake passports found in the car.”
“’Cause she’s lying,” Brendan said. His eyes were flat, as usual, but his hands trembled.
“Your father paid people off to make sure nothing would be found,” Tani said to Nicholas, exhausted, but the rage she turned on Brendan wasn’t weak at all. “You hated that I knew your wife couldn’t stand you. You hated that I tried to help her. You took the company away and hurt my children when I was too depressed to fight back. But I will not let you hurt my children now.”
“You’re hysterical.”
“No. I’m honest. Do you know what, Brendan?” She leaned forward. “I don’t regret helping Maria. What happened that night was a terrible tragedy, but I would have done anything in my power to help your wife leave you. She deserved happiness. My conscience is clear. Is yours?”
Brendan had turned utterly white. His gaze finally dropped away from Tani. “I—” He focused on Nicholas. “My demand still stands.”
Nicholas stood. “Your demand will be met,” he said, cold as ice.
“Good luck.”
“He doesn’t need luck,” said Rhi, who had watched the whole spectacle silently. Her deep, throaty voice signaled danger. She picked up her wineglass and swirled its contents, but her eyes glowed with anger. “I’ll give Nicholas every spare dime he needs.”
Brendan scoffed. “You can’t have equity. You’re not family.”
“I don’t want equity. It would be a loan. I have more than enough to buy you out a few times over.” She smiled thinly. “Consider it my gift in return for you fucking with my brother tonight.”
“Rhiannon...” Nicholas started, but Rhi shook her head.
“Later, Nicholas. We’ll handle the terms later.”
“No one wants you in this company anyway, son,” John said. His voice was thready. “Sell us the shares already, discounted or not. There’s enough of us to meet any demand you make.”
Brendan’s jaw clenched. He walked out without another word to his daughter or son. Eve slowly came to her feet, like she was in a daze, and she followed him out. A second later, Nicholas cursed and threw his napkin on his plate and strode after her, with John following not too far behind.
Gabe wanted to stop her, ask her what she was doing, but he was locked in his own nightmare.
Everyone knew. His secret was out.
He looked around the table at his adoptive family and his birth family. Livvy’s tears had made her mascara run down her cheeks in black tracks. “Mom,” she said, her voice scratchy. “I know a lot of things have come out but... Gabe?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s true,” he said again.
Maile had been silent until now, but she was also crying. “You kept my nephew from me?” she whispered to Tani. “All these years?”
Jackson exhaled. “How...?”
“Robert and I got married six months after our first date,” Tani explained quietly. “He had a relationship with Gabe’s mother before we met. Gabe was the result.”
“That doesn’t resolve the question of why Dad never acknowledged him.” Jackson’s voice rose. “Mom, did you not let him?”
Before Tani could reply, Maile rose from the table and gazed at her former sister-in-law as if she were a stranger. “We have been roommates and best friends and business partners for a long time now. How could you not tell me?”
Tani stared her friend down. “I didn’t want anything to tarnish Robert’s memory.”
“I don’t give a fuck about my brother’s memory,” Maile said harshly.
“But he would have,” Tani returned simply.
