Page 18 of Seen Knot Heard

I clench my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to lash out. To hurt her the way she’s hurt Chloe. Hurt our pack. But that’s what she wants. To provoke me into doing something rash. I won’t give her the satisfaction.

Vivian must sense my restraint because her sneer twists into something even uglier. “Today, I’m feeling generous. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement.”

She trails a finger down the front of my shirt, her touch making my skin crawl. I jerk away, but she just smirks. “You seem to care so much for my daughter. Surely her freedom is worth something to you?”

My eyes narrow, not trusting the calculating gleam in hers. “What are you suggesting?”

“It’s simple, really. You offer me a substantial sum, and I’ll consider letting her scamper off into the sunset with you to live out whatever pathetic little daydream you have.”

Revulsion rises like bile as she bargains with her daughter’s life, putting a price on Chloe’s happiness as if she’s nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold.

“You’re disgusting,” I spit out, not bothering to hide my contempt. “Chloe isn’t some pawn for you to play with. She’s your flesh and blood. Or have you forgotten what it means to be a mother?”

For a split second, Vivian’s icy façade cracks, revealing a glimmer of something raw and painful. It vanishes before I can be sure, replaced by a cold, hard smile. “Spare me the lecture on familial bonds. I’m a businesswoman. Right now, I’m offering you a deal. Take it or leave it.”

Disbelief fills me, torn between fury and desperation. Part of me wants to leave this instant, to find another way to save Chloe that doesn’t involve lining Vivian’s pockets. But the other part, the part that aches with love for her, screams that I’ll pay any price to ensure she’s safe and free.

I swallow my pride. “How much?”

Her lips curl into a triumphant smirk. “Ten million dollars. Non-negotiable.”

The figure hits me like a punch to the gut. We have it. Hell, we have twice that amount, but it’s all tied up in building the resort. Taking out ten million would cripple us.

By the cruel satisfaction in her expression, she knows it, too. She’s forcing me to choose between my pack and Chloe.

“Vivian, please,” I try one last time, my voice cracking. “Think about Chloe. Remember when she was little, how she twirled around in those frilly dresses you bought her? How her face lit up every time you gave her a new storybook?”

For a moment, Vivian’s expression softens. Wistfulness crosses her features, and I glimpse the woman she used to be. The mother who once cared about her daughter.

But it’s fleeting. Like a mirage shimmering in the desert heat.

Her face hardens again. “Get off your high horse, DominicSterling. I’ve done nothing but think of Chloe since that alphahole kicked me and my little girl to the curb. I’ve made sure she’ll never want for anything in life.”

“You made sure of nothing. You took and took from her when she used her gifts to save you!” I shout. “And then you sold her to rake in a fortune off her back!”

“Am I not allowed to rise to the top alongside her after all of my efforts?” She sweeps her diamond-encrusted hand around the viewer’s box. “You’re quick to tell me to give all of this up, but what areyouwilling to give up? Nothing.”

Her words twist in my heart like a knife, shredding any hope that she’ll see reason. “You’re a monster.”

“And you’re pathetic, clinging to some idealized version of the past. Well, let me make this crystal clear for you, DominicSterling. Nothing in life comes for free.” She jabs me in the chest with one manicured fingernail. “That little girl is never coming back. You helped see to that.”

Rage simmers beneath my skin, urging me to lash out, to silence her, but I force it down. “Chloe deserves to be happy. She deserves a life of her own choosing. No one, not even you, has the right to take that from her.”

Vivian’s hands move to her hips, diamonds glittering on her slim wrists.

“Happiness?” she spits, as if the word tastes foul on her tongue. “Happiness is a luxury for the weak. Chloe’s future is already set in stone. She will marry Louie, and she will secure our family’s legacy, as is her duty.”

“Duty? I thought you said it was a sacrifice?” Blood boiling, I take a step toward her just as the door opens, and two large men in security uniforms enter.

Her lips curving into a smug smile, Vivian waves her hand in dismissal, relishing her petty victory. “You have twenty-four hours to come up with the money. Otherwise, consider our little arrangement null and void.”

She thinks she’s cowed me, that I’ll slink away with my tail between my legs. But she has no idea how far I’ll go for Chloe. I turned my back on her once. I won’t do so again.

She tosses her hair as she sweeps past me. “Security, escort this man out of my sight.”

“Chloe is not a pawn in your twisted games. She’s a person, with her own dreams and desires!” Fury roars through me, white-hot and all-consuming. I lunge forward, and Vivian stumbles back in shock, wobbling on her high heels. “I won’t let you crush them under the weight of your greed.”

The security guards grab me by the arms, fingers digging into my flesh through the fabric of my suit jacket.

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