I frown when he points to the screen and I see #Jaytton4Eva.
“Oh, you’ve got a couple name,” Carson chuckles. “That means you’re gonna go the distance.”
I ignore him because my mind is buzzing. I’m torn between awe and gratitude toward Sutton for running such immediateand thorough damage control, and rage at Ryan for leaking these pictures in the first place. How big of an idiot is he? Leaking pictures he already showed our family? Of course there’s no message from him, the fucking coward. I need to deal with him right away and make sure he doesn’t pull this kind of shit ever again. It’s one thing when he tries to make me look bad in front of our family, but this isn’t just about me. This is putting Sutton in the line of fire as well, and he’s not going to fucking get away with that.
A text suddenly comes in from my grandfather.
Grandfather: You have an amazing woman there, my boy. Don’t worry about your brother. I’ll take care of him. Just focus on your incredible fiancee for the time being.
Gritting my teeth, I give my head a sharp shake. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll definitely be handling Ryan myself.
I stand up, dispersing the other guys and making them scatter like startled seagulls. I want to leave and find Sutton, but I know I need to hunt down Ryan first and make sure he regrets pulling this shit. Still, I need to reach out to Sutton to assure her I’m aware of the situation, and to thank her for cleaning up the mess. I’m still so amazed by her and I have no idea how I’ll possibly show her my gratitude. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone go out on such a limb for me before…she could have easily played into the situation. Used it as a reason to end the engagement, but she didn’t. She stood up for me. Protected me.
It’s fucking humbling. Sucking in a deep breath, I pull up Sutton’s number and send her a text.
Jayce: Hey, I’m done with practice. I’ve seen the pictures already, and I just want you to know my brother’s the one who leaked them. He had them taken before we even met at the gala and tried to use them against me before. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him, but thank you for what you did. I saw your video and you were amazing. I owe you, and I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.
Once I send the message, I tuck my phone away and grab my jacket out of my locker.
“Where you going, Jayce?” Owen asks with a furrowed brow as he watches me walk with purposeful steps toward the door.
“I’ve got something I need to handle,” I growl without looking back. “I’ll see you all later.”
Ryan still lives at home, so I drive straight to my parents’ place. I park in the driveway and jump out of the car, rushing up to the front door. Without bothering to knock, I burst into the house.
“Ryan!” I bellow once I’m in the entryway. “Where the fuck are you?”
I’m met with silence. Is anybody home? If he’s not here, I’ll scour the whole city to find him and beat his weasley little ass…
“What the hell, Jayce? What are you doing here?”
I snap my head up and spot Ryan standing on the second floor landing at the top of the staircase. He’s gripping the wooden railing, glaring down at me.
Gritting my teeth, I rush to the stairs and take them two at a time to get to him.
His eyes go wide as I draw near and he stumbles back. “Stay away from me! Mom and Dad will be home soon, so don’t lay a goddamn hand on me…”
I don’t stop and I don’t hesitate, pulling my fist back and slamming it into his face. He lets out a pain filled cry and nearly loses his footing, but he’s more solidly built than he looks and stays standing.
“What the fuck?” he shouts, cupping his jaw.
“The hell kind of stunt was that?” I demand to know. “Releasing those pictures on social media? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
His eyes narrow and he hisses, “I need to make the world see you for who you really are.”
“Are you serious?” This petty little prick. “You try to sabotage my reputation and humiliate my fiancee, and that’s the best you got? You sound like a basement-dwelling bitch boy.”
He snarls like a rabid dog and shoves a finger into my chest, tears welling up in his eyes. “Mom, Dad, and Grandfather won’t listen to me about you! I was sure releasing the photos would make them realize how unfit you are to run the company. But, of course, it didn’t work! The family golden boy always gets what he wants, no matter how much of a fuck-up he really is.”
I smack his finger away and shake my head. “Why are you going after me this hard? You’re my fucking brother! It’s not like I was planning on pushing you out of the company once I took over. Can you honestly tell me you even want to be CEO? You hate responsibility, so why shoulder the brunt of it all and not just continue mooching off everyone else’s hard work?”
He jerks his gaze from me as he growls, “It’s none of your fucking business…”
I grab the front of his shirt with one hand and pull my other hand back into a fist, ready to punch the truth out of him if I have to. Before I get that far, though, he throws up his hands, his eyes going wide and momentarily flashing with fear.
“All right, fuck!” he shouts. “I’ll tell you, just let me go!”
It takes me a moment, because I really want to hit him again, but I slowly lower my hand and release his shirt. He looks away, awkwardly smoothing out his collar and clearing his throat.
