Page 50 of Falling in Reverse

THIRTEEN

torin

It must be something that’s going to piss me off for me to be sitting in Emilio’s office while he takes his time smacking his lips and tasting his bourbon.

My fucking God, this man is a waste of space.

I’m almost half tempted to click a balloon to the waistband of his pants and let Wallace have fun with him.

“Are we going to start this fuckin’ meeting this century?” I solicit flatly. “Or did you need more time to suck on your drink before we get started?”

My father doesn’t spare me a glance, too used to my smart-ass comments, as he swirls the liquid around in his glass. “I wouldn’t be so excited about this news if I were you. It’s not working in your favor.”

I strum my fingers along the arm of the leather chair I’m sitting in. “Well, let’s get it over with, shall we?”

Emilio’s blue eyes shift over to me, unamused as all hell. “I have some news. And I’m waiting for your brother to get here.”

“I’m sure you’ve already told him.”

Because those two are like butt buddies galore. Nothing is kept sacred between them, and I’m the odd man out.

“I haven’t.” Emilio narrows his gaze. “So, shut the fuck up and wait.”

Fucking Christ.

Minutes go by before my brother strolls in without a care in the world. He’s in black jeans and a red shirt and ignores that I’m even in the room.

“Father,” he greets. “What’s going on?”

“An announcement,” our father prompts immediately, because God forbid, we make Ramsey wait. “And I want the both of you to be accepting and welcoming of it because it’s not an option.”

“Are we finally getting a dog?” I ask, even though I already have two.

Emilio stares blankly at me. “No. You both have a sister.”

A fucking what now?

I blink, repeating his words in my head before my father comes in with the winning fatality.

“Bay Astor…she’s my daughter. My blood daughter.”

“I’m sorry,” Ramsey interjects. “What?”

Emilio leans back in his chair, and I think he’s lost his entire fucking mind. There’s just no way.

“How?” I leer. That girl is trouble.

My trouble.

And the last fucking person I want her near is Emilio.

And Levi Wallace.

But Emilio first, because this man is not the kind of parent you write long epilogues about when they die.

You’re actually relieved.

Emilio may have taken my brother and I in when our mother was, and is, too fucked up on pills, but that’s because he needed heirs. He required someone to pick up his name and run it with when someone finally got the jump on him.

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