Page 88 of Misconducts & Temptation

I narrowed my eyes, turning back to face him fully. "What do you mean?"

"Elodie and Lola got into a fight in your room after you left. I heard banging, and when I went in to see what was going on, I saw Elodie on top of Lola, hitting her head on the floor."

A smirk tugged at my lips despite myself. "Did Lola touch her?"

His expression darkened. "I saw a busted lip and a bruise on Elodie's face."

Fury surged through me, making my hands clench into fists at my sides. The thought of Lola laying a hand on Elodie made my blood boil.

"You… you care about her, don't you?" My father’s voice held an edge of surprise.

I didn't answer immediately. The realization hit me like a slap in the face—I did care about her. More than I wanted to admit. More than I should have allowed myself to feel.

Seeing my silence as confirmation, he continued, his tone softer but no less manipulative. "You know this complicates things, Keaton. You were supposed to focus on securing our future with Lola's family."

My jaw tightened as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. Every word he spoke was another reminder of the chains binding me to his plans—plans that didn't include someone like Elodie.

But Elodie wasn’t justsomeone. She was my wife. She had become more important than any deal or business arrangement he could conjure up. And knowing she’d been hurt because of Lola only fueled my resolve.

“Did you know she had the audacity to tell me to let you be your own man?” My father’s voice was a mixture of disbelief and grudging respect.

Pride bubbled in my chest, unbidden and unexpected. Elodie, standing up to him. The thought alone made my heart race.

“She’s a fierce defender of yours,” he continued. “You don’t always find that in a wife.”

“Mom defended you,” I pointed out, my voice sharper than I intended.

“Yes. She also insisted you play hockey as a way to channel the chaos inside of you. Insisted it was a constructive way to do it.” He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know what you want from me, son.”

I glared at him, feeling the weight of years of unspoken words pressing down on me. “What I want from you?”

“I’m trying to ensure our family legacy is still vibrant and… meaningful,” he said, his tone almost pleading. "That, when people hear the family name, there's fear and respect… not chaos and mischief and debauchery."

“Lola cheated on me,” I said flatly. “How can I have a vibrant relationship with a bitch I can’t trust?”

His nose wrinkled in distaste. “Must you be so crude?”

“I’m just telling the truth.” I shrugged.

“And yet, you marry a stranger,” he said, his voice hardening again. “You knew nothing about her. How could you know you'd trust her?”

Flashes of Elodie filled my mind—the way she carried herself with quiet strength, the moments we’d shared over the past couple of weeks that revealed more depth than any superficial encounter with Lola ever had.

“She would never betray me,” I said firmly. “She ain’t the type.”

“How could you know that?” he asked, genuine curiosity in his eyes for once.

“I didn’t,” I admitted, my voice softer now. “When I first decided I wanted to marry her, I just didn’t want to marry Lola. But now…”

“Now, it’s different?” he guessed.

I met his gaze head-on, feeling a clarity I hadn’t felt in years. “Yeah,” I said simply. “Now it’s different.”

I leaned on my stick, feeling the weight of my father’s scrutiny. "I guess I saw something in her… I don’t know. She gets me."

"And you’re not just fucking around?" His eyes narrowed, searching for any sign of weakness. "You won’t divorce her three years from now or whenever you decide you're over it?"

"I don’t think you understand," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. Admitting this out loud, especially to him, felt like stepping off a cliff. But once I started, I couldn’t hold back. "The thought of Elodie with another man makes me feel a burning kind of anger… I can’t explain it. I would kill him and then I would kill her for?—"

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