My father scoffed. “Hardly. They had a little tussle. It was nothing.”
“There are finger marks around Grae’s throat. He tried to strangle her. He had a damned gun,” I gritted out.
Mom let out a sound of distress, but I didn’t back down. Couldn’t. My father had to see what he’d wrought.
“The police said he doesn’t have an alibi for any of the incidents that have happened to Grae.”
My mom started to cry softly.
Dad threw the newspaper to the floor. “His drinking has gotten out of control. I’ll send him to rehab, but this family doesn’t need our name dragged through the mud. The company doesn’t need it.”
There it was. My father didn’t give a damn about Gabe. Or me. Or the fact that an innocent woman had almost been killed. All he cared about was his precious reputation. His company.
“Enough,” Mom whispered.
“You and Grae will retract your statements, and we’ll make sure the rest of the witnesses sign nondisclosure agreements,” my father continued.
“I said enough!” Mom snapped.
Dad jerked back. “Jocelyn.”
Tears still glistened in her eyes, but there was something else there now, too. An anger I’d never seen in her before. “I’ve stood by for too long. Let you twist this family into something I don’t even recognize anymore.”
My father gaped at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I thought I loved you once. But the way you’ve torn apart our boys, treated them with nothing but cruelty and cold calculation…I’ll hate you for the rest of my days.”
Dad pushed to his feet, redness creeping up his neck. “I won’t allow you to talk to me this way. This is my house—”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Harrison.”
He froze. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Mom clasped her hands in front of her and met my father’s stare. “The land this resort is built on has been in my family for generations. Every building on it belongs tome.”
Dad’s jaw went slack, and then fury flared in his eyes. “Fine. You want The Peaks, you’re welcome to it. You’ll drive it into the ground in less than a month.”
“Not just The Peaks,” she said calmly.
A vein in my father’s neck bulged, but he didn’t say a word.
“I called an emergency meeting of the board this morning. We’ve all decided that you are no longer equipped to lead this company. You’re being replaced. We’ve given you a generous severance package, but you’ll be leaving.”
“You fucking bitch!”
My father lunged, but I stepped in front of him, shoving him back with enough force that he stumbled into that damn chair he loved so much.
“Don’t,” I growled. “You don’t touch her. You don’t even speak to her.”
Dad shoved up to standing. “You’ll pay for this.”
He grabbed his keys from the side table and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
My mom let out a shaky breath. “That went better than I thought.”
I turned to face her. “Mom…why?”
“It was time.” She gave me a sad smile. “My great-grandfather started this company. I wasn’t about to let Harrison ruin it. I just wish I hadn’t let him hurt you and Gabe so badly. I’ve made so many mistakes…”
