Page 131 of Bitter Confessions

“That’s enough.”

She was vaguely aware a woman had arrived and was marching toward them. Warren whirled to face the newcomer. Jasmine had no idea what state her face was in, because her world had shattered into a million pieces. Her bare back felt as if she’d taken a dozen lashes. A flash of bronze fabric caught her eye a second before she heard Colette’s voice over the sound of her racing heart.

“How dare you?”

Colette’s furious tone jarred Jasmine out of her daze. Slowly, her eyes moved from Warren to her sister, who was angrier than she’d ever seen her.

Warren took in Colette’s gown with a disapproving leer. “What happened to you? You used to be so proper. Maximus would never allow you to wear something so provocative.”

“I’m an adult, not a child,” Colette snapped. “And what I’m wearing is none of your business. Did you just proposition my sister?”

“We’re all adults here. She can always say no.” He made a throwaway motion. One of his gold rings looked like it was cutting off his circulation. “But if she’s anything like Elena, she’ll spread for anyone in our tax bracket.”

“Shut your mouth, Warren.”

If she had the capability to feel anything, Warren’s incredulous expression would have thrilled her. No one spoke to him like that. He was too powerful to risk offending him. They usually took his barbs without complaint, but Colette looked ready to clobber him with her clutch if he said another word.

“Wha... what did you say to me, girl?”

“I’m not a girl, and you heard me perfectly,” Colette said crisply. “Not another word out of your mouth. Everything you say has always been poison.”

Warren flushed with rage. “Do you really want to go there with me?”

“The real question is, do you want to go there with me?”

His mouth sagged a little. It took him a moment to close it and even longer to regain his voice. “Are... are you threatening me?”

Colette’s resolved wavered, making her hesitate. Sensing weakness, Warren sneered.

“Do you know what I could do to you?” He took a step toward Colette and glared up at her with a superior look on his face. “You bungled the company, just as I knew you would. I told Maximus he should have put Lyle in charge of it.” He snorted. “Women. They’re only good for one thing. You have no place in the business world.”

“No more,” Colette whispered.

“What did you say?”

Colette straightened and put her shoulders back. “I said, no more.”

“What the hell are you talking about? No more what?”

“No more being afraid. No more insults. I considered you a second father, a mentor, someone to be trusted. Just like Dad, you criticized, lectured, and humiliated me. I thought it was to make me stronger—to teach me a lesson. I should have realized you were grooming me to feel inferior and subservient to you.”

Warren’s expression shifted from outrage to unease. Colette had taken a tack he hadn’t expected, and he was... nervous?

He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

When Colette stepped toward him, Warren backed up before realizing he’d physically and mentally lost ground. He glanced at Jasmine before puffing out his chest.

“I taught you everything you know out of the goodness of my heart,” he blustered.

“I should have told Dad about you,” Colette said quietly.

“Told him what?”

“That you raped me.”

Warren’s head kicked back as if he’d been punched. He gaped at her before looking around the empty room and roaring, “I did not!”

“You did. Many times.”

---