Page 65 of Ruthless Redemption

He’s betting all his chips that I won’t lash out. He knows I won’t fight him in front of her.

“I won’t give up what’s mine,” he repeats.

The need to scream builds, the tension forming a choking mass in my throat. He has to stop. I can’t keep doing this.

“Have you ever wondered why Cole disowned me so easily?” I grate. “Did it ever cross your fucking mind to question how such a notorious family could discard one of their own in the blink of an eye?”

“I don’t need to know.”

“Yes, you do.” I press my forearms to his chest, attempting to leverage a breath of space. “My brother would’ve been relieved that your ignorance has taken me off his hands. He probably laughed at the stupid asshole who didn’t understand he was claiming a traitor. A pariah. Someone who ratted her own brother out to a monster all for a little money.”

His eyes narrow. “Nothing you say will change the way I feel about you, if that’s what you’re attempting to achieve. Your family still care for you, Layla.”

“My family despise me, but they’d do anything for my daughter,” I correct. “You have no clue who I really am. You’ve never met the real me. The liability. I’m a threat to whoever remains close to me. Why do you think I’d allow the one thing I treasure most to be sent to a boarding school on the other side of the country?”

“You think I don’t know you’re a liability?” He stares at me, eyes intense, breathing heavy. He raises a hand, killing me softly as he glides a stray hair behind my ear. “Anything that weakens me is a threat to my existence. And nothing weakens me more than you.”

“Are you deliberately ignoring what I just said? I’m not trustworthy. I’m not a good person. I sold out Cole for years. My own flesh and blood. My father wanted information and I willingly gave it. I told him my brother’s strategies. His secrets. His plans.”

“I’m not ignoring it. But I’m well aware there are parts of your story that would excuse your actions. Why did you give up the information,amore mio? Were you blackmailed? Threatened?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Because I wanted affection. Attention. I wanted someone to be proud of me. To love me.

The same way I thought you had.

“You won’t answer me because deep down, you know I’m right.” He strokes my cheek with his thumb, leisurely back and forth with savage tenderness. “You paint a horrible picture of yourself, Layla. But I see you. Therealyou.”

“You see what I want you to see.”

“You’re many things but a good actress isn’t one of them.” His gaze holds unflinching confidence. “You can’t push me away.”

“You’re not listening. I betrayed those I love. I did it over and over—”

“You made mistakes. We all do. If it weren’t for mine, Grace would still be alive.”

“Stop it.” I thump my fist against his chest. “You’re making excuses for something you know nothing about.”

“That’s because I don’t give a shit.” His mouth is almost on mine. So close. A breath apart. “I will never give up on you.”

God. But I need him to.

“Well, I’ve already given up on you.” I raise my chin through the lie. “And I’ll tell you exactly why—my father manipulated me into stealing Cole’s secrets. He used my desperation for love against me. He fed off my need for affection just like you did.”

His lips press tight. His nostrils flare.

“I can’t be with a man who has that much power over me. I won’t risk doing that to my family again no matter how much they hate me.”

“I’m not your father,” he growls.

“You’re right. You’re nowhere near as proficient as he was because you were stupid enough to get caught in your lies. You’re a poor man’s version of Luther Torian. Now get the fuck out of my face.”

He scowls. Sneers. Retreats. “Don’t for one second think that I don’t know exactly what you’re doing.”

I stride for the living room door, my heart in my throat, my restraint in tatters.

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