Page 158 of The Bonus

The anger in my soul begins to smolder with a new fire.

“You cannot throw away what you have with Ariana for Grace Porter. I cannot allow it.”

“Ariana and I are over.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you love Ariana.”

“And you are supposed to love me.” I slam my hand on the desk, causing her to jump.

“I do love you.”

“You tried to buy my own children out of my life,” I bellow. “How the fuck is that loving me?” I glare at her, on the verge of a full-on meltdown. “You’ve gone too far this time, Mother.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “Don’t say that,” she whispers. “She’s no good for you, Gabriel.”

“You are no good for me,” I scream. “Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. Office. Right. Now.”

The door bursts open and Alessio comes into view, his eyes flick between us. “What’s going on?” he asks as he closes the door behind him.

“Get her out of here,” I snap as I walk to the window. I drag my hands through my hair, too angry to even look at her.

“What’s happened?” He frowns.

“Your mother offered Grace Porter twenty million dollars to leave me.”

“I did not,” she lies. “I offered her a nondisclosure contract, there’s a big difference.”

Alessio’s eyes widen. “You’re with Grace Porter now?”

“No, he’s not. He’s having a mental breakdown, that’s what he’s doing,” Mother snaps, infuriated. “He’s going to patch things up with Ariana…that’s if she will even take him back.”

“Get out,” I whisper as a thermonuclear atomic bomb comes dangerously close to blowing up.

“I will not stand by and watch you ruin your life,” she spits.

“Good. You’re not invited to, anyway.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she cries.

“It means that I want nothing to do with you.” I point to the door. “Get out!”

“You fool,” she fires back. “You’re ruining everything you worked so hard for.”

“I’m warning you. If you dare go near Grace or my children again…there will be fucking hell to pay, do you hear me?”

“You do not get to speak to me like this.” She picks up her handbag in a huff and marches from my office and slams the door behind her, the office falls silent.

Alessio begins to pace in a panic. “That was way too much.”

Adrenaline is surging through my bloodstream, and I’m positive that the whole building just heard that exchange.

So much for keeping it together and being calm.

Fuck.

My phone rings on my desk, the name Elias lights up the screen.

What now?

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