Page 185 of The Catalyst

“What am Idoing? What areyoudoing? I can understand trying to get even, but going after her mom? You’re pushing shit too far, and you need to snap the fuck out of it!” I growl in his face, and he returns it right back.

“You have no control over what I do.”

“I’ll put it this way for you, Ni. If you pull shit like this again to try to hurt her, I’ll fucking kill you–the rules be damned.”

His eyes widen before his expression falls. “You’d choose her over me?”

“She hasn’t done a single thing to try to hurt you. Hell, she hasn’t even gone to school to give you space, and you’re doing everything you can to shit all over her. What you’ve just done is lower than low. She deserves better.” I push him away and turn around, stalking out of his room before I actually do make good on my threat and put him in the ground.

CHAPTER 72

BETH

Nolan called me once Martin fell asleep and it took everything in me not to scream at him for the state he put his son in. However, I bit my tongue and let him speak. He was requesting that I come to speak with him. I almost refused, but then I looked at Martin’s mangled body and knew if I refused, I would just make everything worse for him.

I got dressed, stole Martin’s car keys, and jumped in his car.

I drove to the Gray mansion and the guard outside the gate let me in, even though he looked confused when he saw me behind the wheel of Martin’s car. He didn’t question it though.

I park the car outside the house and walk in, not waiting for grumpy Bernard to let me in.

My pulse picks up the second I’m inside.

I walk down the hall, having memorized the way to Nolan’s office, and stop outside when I hear screaming.

Flashes of the state of Martin’s face race through my mind and my breath quickens.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I grumble under my breath.Get it together, Beth. No crying or showing weakness.

I make it inside Nolan’s office, where Cora and Nolan stand in front of the couches, and Michael sits on one of the sofas with an ice pack on his crotch.

What did I just walk into?

“How could you do this?” Nolan yells, and Cora grabs his arm, probably attempting to calm him, but he wasn’t even this pissed when I bucked up to him.

“Darling, maybe it’s for the best. We don’t really want that gutter rat in our family, do we?”

Nolan shoves her off and straight-up growls in her face. “Shut the fuck up before I knock you on your ass!”

I flinch from his harsh tone. He’s beyond livid, and I don’t know how to respond to this level of anger, especially from someone I don’t know well enough to assess the situation properly.

“What’s the problem?” I ask as I rap my knuckles on the door, announcing my arrival.

“Anything I can help with?” I add on to try to diffuse the situation, but I don’t know how to do that without some context. It has something to do with the contract, but I don’t know much outside of that.

Nolan’s eyes land on me, and I feel like a small child as he assesses me like he always does, like he’s trying to figure me out.

“I can…leave and come back later if you’d prefer?” I offer while clasping my hands together in front of me.

“I doubt that would help much, Miss Mercer,” Nolan states as he adjusts his suit jacket to be more presentable. “Since my youngest went and had himself mutilated to spite me.”

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Mutilated? I don’t?—”

“God, you dim-witted whore. He practically had himself castrated. He’ll be lucky if he can ever…fornicate again.”

My eyes fall back to the ice pack and the anguished expression on Michael’s face.Oh.That’s why he looks like he just got a swift kick to the balls. I wonder how much he had to pay someone to do that to him.

Anger fills my gut. How could he do this? Hell, I didn’t want to have kids with him either, but what he has done has put this entire deal in jeopardy. Nolan could easily get it in his head that I told Michael to do this and take it out on me, Oliver, and Martin. Michael also wanted to protect Nigel, so why would he do something like this? He knew this was a part of the deal.

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