Leon dropped his fork as his head snapped in my direction, a fire in his eyes as he took me in. “Lower your damn voice when you talk to me.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said fucking NO.”
“I am your father, Harper, and your boss. You will obey me and treat me with respect.”
“You aren’t my father in any way that matters, and if you want to remain as my boss, then you’ll shut the fuck up and listen to me.”
Leon was shocked. I’d never raised my voice to him before. I’m sure he never imagined I’d so bluntly refuse to obey him either. Until yesterday, I’d have thought the same. But then he tried to take my Benny away.
When Benny had told me he knew, I’d been terrified, but then he told me that Leon had tried tobribehim to leave me, and I wasn’t scared anymore. All the fear, all the anxiety and doubts and worries ignited into rage.
I was finally standing up to him, because I finally had something to stand up for. It wasn’t myself, because it never could have been. But Benny? I’d fight a fucking army for Benny.
“Howdareyou?” I shouted. “Howfuckingdare you! I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked. I’ve given more of myself to you and that fucking company than anyone, and I finally,finallyfound something for myself outside of it and you try to destroy it!”
Leon recovered from the shock of my outburst faster than I’d hoped. Already he’d pulled the mask of composure back on.
“You can’t have him.”
The words that lived in my head, the words that had almost torn us apart.Hiswords, finally spoken fromhismouth.
“Yes I fuckingcan.”
“No. You’ll end this now.”
“No. I won’t.”
“You will,” he snarled. “Or I will.”
I scoffed. “You going to offer him more money? He won’t take it, even if you give him your whole big shiny empire.”
Leon shook his head. “There are other things I can do to him.”
An invisible blade pierced my chest, and suddenly some of that fear was seeping back into my bones like it belonged there. Because what was he capable of?
All these years I’d been afraid of him because of that question. And now I was tempting him to give me an answer. Who reallywas the man I’d called my father? And what lengths would he go to in order to get his way?
I wasn’t scared for myself, not anymore. There was nothing he could do to me that I wouldn’t gladly take if it meant being with Benny. But I wasn’t the only one I had to consider. He could hurt Benny, or Matthew, or anyone else who’d been stubborn enough to care about me.
I inhaled deeply. I had to be firm. “I won’t leave him, but I won’t go public with our relationship.”
“Damn fucking right you won’t go public, because there’snothingto go public with. End it.”
“No.”
I glared at him. He glared right back.
“Dear…” Mom spoke up from her side of the room.
“Shut the fuck up, Rosanne!” Leon snapped at her. “Don’t you have pills to choke on? Why don’t you go do that and stay the fuck out of my way?”
“Don’t talk to her like that.”
“It’s alright, dear.” Mom stood up, leaving her untouched food as she walked over, gently rubbing my shoulder before simply turning and walking away.
