Page 146 of Brutal Kingdom

“You told me you changed your mind about pursuing this inheritance because it was the right decision for you. But these ladies seem to think you did it to protect me and Summer.”

“Mom, you don’t understand.”

She crosses the floor towards me. “I understand enough. And whatever these people are holding over your head doesn’t matter. Whatever scandal you think it’s going to bring to us doesn’t matter. Your father and I raised you to do the right thing, even in the face of adversity. We taught you to be strong and to fight. This isn’t fighting. It’s giving up.”

Mom stoops down to look me in the eyes. “Three questions, Jordanna. This thing you’re trying to hide from. Did you do it to intentionally hurt someone?”

“No.”

“Are you ashamed of what you did?”

Having sex? Sure, it was in a public place, but I’m not ashamed. Folks do it all the time. I just happen to have a psycho tailing me and filming it. “No, I’m not ashamed of it.”

“Are you prepared to live with the consequences of your actions?”

Mom told me not to use her and Summer as an excuse for any decisions I make. If I’m not worried about them. If this was just my decision, following through on my claim, means people find out it’s me on that video and the school tries to kick me out. I could sue for discrimination if Logan’s not getting the same deal.

And speaking of Logan. If he’s marrying Bella because he chooses her or because he wants control of the company. Fine. I wish them the best. But if it’s like his mom said and he’s only doing it to protect me, then no. I can’t live with him doing that.

I shake my head, my throat too tight to answer.

My mom squeezes my hand. “Then nothing’s too late and this fight is definitely not over.”

I swipe the moisture from my eyes and look around this room filled with strong, formidable women. Imogen stood up to her father, knowing the consequences. Her blood flows through my veins. My mom’s right. I wasn’t raised to quit just because things are hard or scary. This is bigger than me. I’ve heard Donald’s plan. This town is in trouble. It’s time I stand up for myself, my family, and my friends.

No more working in the shadows. It’s time to bring all the players into the light. It’s time to put an end to all the games.

FIFTY-EIGHT

LOGAN

I’m standing in front of the floor to ceiling glass windows, my arms folded across my chest, staring out over the city and seeing nothing. This is usually my favorite view, but today, I get no enjoyment out of it.

I have a long day of negotiations and interviews ahead of me, and until they're finished, I can’t relax. Slipping my jacket off the back of the chair, I shove my arms into the sleeves, fasten the single button and straighten my tie with sure hands, even though I’m sick over what I’m about to do.

My shoes are silent as I make my way down the hall to the conference room. Dad clasps a hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Son-”

“I know, dad.” I say cutting him off. I’m tired of the pep talk. He’s said this so much over the last week, that I’m hearing it in my sleep. “No matter what I think, or how I feel, McKay Media comes first.”

We step through the doors as a team. It’s literally a media circus in here. All the major networks have local correspondents on hand for dad’s big announcement. The Kingsley Elite are here, too, behind closed doors. Watching on closed circuit tv.

There’s no undoing this. Closing my eyes, I conjure up visions of Jordy’s face. Her smile. Her eyes when she’s staring at me, pleased at something I said or did. Her laugh. I remember her embrace and that feeling of love that I never thought I’d have. It’s over for us and in order to do this, I have to shut her out of my heart once and for all, because remembering what we had. What wecould havehad will only make me more bitter towards dad, Bella, and myself. For this partnership to work, I can’t have feelings that Bella can expose and use to control me. I have to lock down my heart and that means forgetting about the cat eyed girl I’m madly in love with.

We step onto the podium, and the room quiets. I listen as my dad sets the mood for the press conference. He looks down at his note cards and says, “I’ve prepared a few words about the things you’ve all seen in the news, and afterwards I’ll take a few questions. It will be up to my son whether or not he does the same.”

He takes a breath then continues. “A great betrayal has occurred against my family. We trusted several people in our inner circle, only to learn that moments and conversations that should have remained private haven’t. We’ve recovered several hours of video and audio footage, but there was one we were unable to retrieve and that is the item in question, shared virally online and in newsrooms across the country. As a member of the media I value the truth and I believe the public has a right to know, but I’ve operated with integrity through the years and I think we can all agree that The Star Gazette and Daily Scroll have never published content such as this, and we never will. Once the perpetrators are found we expect to have them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” He glances over at me, alerting me that his prepared remarks are over, and calls on the first reporter.

“Are you admitting that it’s your son on the tape?”

“I am.”

“And how old is the person he’s with? Is there any truth that she’s underage?”

“No. There. Is. Not. The woman he’s with is over the age of eighteen. Next question.”

“Did you know your son likes to record himself having sex?”

“My son is an adult. I don’t inquire about his sexual proclivities any more than I do about yours.”

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