“Nolan,” my father growls, and a tense atmosphere blankets the room. Darcy nudges me, tipping her head subtly across the table. Our mother is looking around, her expression troubled.
I shake my irritation off, quietly telling Nolan, “Not here.”
Once the last course has been finished and the plates cleared away, my father stands abruptly, glaring over at me. “We need to talk.”
On either side of me, Darcy and Nolan wince in sympathy, but I don’t give any reaction except a slight lift to my eyebrows.
“Is now really appro—” my mother starts.
“Don’t interfere, Abigail,” my father cuts her off sternly, not even looking at her. Mom frowns, looking over at me before shaking her head and looking away.
Smiling genially, like nothing is amiss, Darius offers, “Use my study, Donald.”
My father stalks out of the room.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I murmur, pushing back my chair and walking out after him. By the time I shut the door of Darius’ study, my father has already made himself comfortable behind the desk and I inwardly roll my eyes.
It’s such an obvious power move, and fills me with amusement that he thinks it’s necessary. I take a chair across from the desk, slumping insolently and sending him a curious look.
“What can I do for you?” I ask, with a bland smile.
The tips of his ears go red, but he keeps control of his temper. “This whole thing has gone too far,” he announces without preamble, mouth trembling slightly.
“What whole thing would that be?” I ask casually. He opens his mouth, but I cut him off with a sharp grin. “Do you mean the whole thing where you orchestrated me into a relationship and misled me about the reasons for it? Or is it the one where you undermine my position as CEO at Nexus, threatening the company in the process?”
He jerks back, chair squeaking under him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Declan, and it’d do you well to remember your place.”
“My place,” I echo quietly.
“Yes, your place.” He leans forward, planting his hands on the desk. “Carl Ledger has been on the phone to me,” he informs me staunchly, like he’s sharing new information. “You’ve got the entire board wondering about the image you’re presenting to the shareholders.”
“What image is that?” I ask disinterestedly, enjoying the way he bristles.
He smiles nastily. “The one where you marry a woman for her father’s company, and then leave her on the honeymoon.”
“I can see that you kept your involvement in the scheme quiet,” I observe. “Shall we show the board whose idea it was for me to get into a relationship with Lily? And should we also show them who was behind the recent sabotage attempts of Hi-Tech?” I cross my ankle over my knee, watching him. “Interesting, isn’t it, that just when I’m about to close the deal, you’d try and sink the company through Hi-Tech’s suppliers.”
His face goes red, white and then purple—an entire myriad of colors. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he hisses. “None of this would be a problem if you hadn’t bloody married her! You were supposed to date the girl, get the company, and then dump her!”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the least that Grant Foster deserves!” He’s yelling now, standing up and leaning over the desk, spittle flying. I don’t comment, watching him with disinterest as he tries to pull himself together. “Look, we can still fix this. Silvia is prepared to forgive your mistakes, as long as you dissolve the marriage.”
I scoff. “What the hell does Silvia have to do with anything?”
He eyes me coldly. “The plan was always to join our families. You went off script with this wedding, and you know it. You will divorce Lily Foster, and after a decent period of time, you will make your relationship with Silvia public.” His mouth is a thin line of disapproval as he retakes his seat. “We’ll have to play it just right. We can’t have your poor choices affecting Nexus, but I also won’t condemn you to a loveless marriage. You’ll need to be above reproach, but I’m sure we can spin the narrative to paint the Fosters in a bad light. I have a connection with The Daily Times who’ll jump at the chance to help.”
“My marriage to Lily stands.”
He blinks, not having expected that. I slowly get to my feet, affecting a calm that doesn’t reflect the turmoil inside.
“I don’t know what you and Darius are planning,” I tell him in a soft warning, “but leave me and Lily out of it.”
“Don’t be stupid,” he grits out, molars grinding. “Silvia is a much more suitable match, and we always knew how this game would end—with the Fosters’ ruin.” He puts his elbows on the desk, hands clasped together. “Remember, boy… Nexus Capital is mine. You might be in the CEO position, but it was my power that gave it to you.” A dangerous smile curls his lip. “And it’s in my power to take it away. I’m the one playing the game, son. You’re just one of my pawns that I’m moving around the board.”
I shake my head, leaving without another word. Unable to stomach the idea of mundane conversation, I beeline for the front door. Just before I can make my escape, heels clatter against the floor behind me. I turn to find Silvia there, staring up at me, her bottom lip dropping into a pout.
“You’re not leaving, are you? I was hoping we could spend some time together. I’ve been waiting for your call to tell me it’s over. What’s the hold up, Dec?” Her eyes gleam brightly, like she might shed a tear or two, but I stare down at her impassively.
