Page 75 of Off the Rim
The stare down between the James men only makes the tension in the room more palpable. Mr. James breaks eye contact first, looking annoyed, or bored, as he aims a curt nod at Artie, who leaves, pulling the doors closed behind him.
Mr. James ignores me entirely, like I'm not in the room. Which is honestly fine by me.
"Just what the fuck do you think you're pulling here?"
"I don't know what you mean," Ashton replies cooly.
"Making a public spectacle of yourself, showing up here with…him.Gallivanting around the house being vulgar and making a fool of yourself. Breaking into my office and violating my personal space in such a way that I could press charges for indecency and harassment. That such outrageous, repulsive behavior was conducted by my own son is unacceptable."
"Let's call it an exercise in empathy. Because now you know a fraction of how I feel."
"Excuse you?"
"I think I always knew you were a crook, but tonight I actually witnessed first-hand how corrupt you are. Under the table donations for favorable legislation so you can develop protected environmental spaces? Displacing families from their homes so you can gentrify more of Pinecrest? Or what about using your money and influence to fulfill some kind of sick personal vendetta?"
"I don't know what you're?—”
"Don't even try it, Dad. I'm not as stupid as you think I am. I know who Roman Vell was to you, I know what you did to him, and I know how you're trying to pull the same bullshit with his son.Thatis what’s truly outrageous and repulsive. I'm ashamed to be related to you, to share the same name."
Mr. James barely blinks. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I though?" Ashton crosses his arms. "Tell me, are you so determined to make me marry because that's what Mimi made you do?"
"Ashton—” Mr. James says in a warning tone.
"When she woke up, she thought I was you. Kept talking about catching you with him."
"Mimi is not in her right mind?—”
"Is that why you looked so worried when she said Ken was going to make everything better?"
For the first time, I see emotion in Mr. James' eyes. Fear. Whether it's fear that he's been caught, or fear for his mother, I don't know, but the change in him is astounding. He reminds me of a cornered animal. How dangerous will he be when he lashes out?
"I don't know what she was talking about," he says quietly, and this time I almost believe him. I think he knows more than he's letting on, but maybe he wishes he didn't. "I had my suspicions she might have been involved with…somethingI probably don't want to know. Don't need to know. And neither do you."
"That's where you're wrong. I need to make sense of everything that has happened, I need to make sense of why you hated Roman Vell enough to ruin his life, and I need to make sense of what any of it has to do with me and my relationship with Marcus."
"You can't be with that boy."
"Why? Because it doesn't fit the perfect image you have of what our family is supposed to look like? Because you won't have more pedigree bred heirs to pass down your corruption to?"
"Because he'll use you! He'll use you and then he'll leave you. Like father, like son."
The shouted words reverberate in my bones and settle in my chest. I don't realize that I'm backing up until my thighs hit achair. I sink down slowly, wanting to remain invisible in this room. I think they've both forgotten I'm here, and I'm okay with that. Ashton's body is blocking my view of Mr. James' face, but that just means he likely can't see me, either.
"Maybe Marcus is like his father, but that’s a good thing. He’s hardworking, and kind, truly cares about people. Everything I know about the man, outside the venom you've spit about him for as far back as I can remember, is that he was someone respectable. Someone who people loved and were loved by him?—”
"Roman Vell was a grifter who lied and manipulated a teenaged boy into thinking he was something he's not. My father was ready to disinherit me because Roman told him?—”
"—that you were in love with him, and he didn't feel the same." I say, just loud enough for my voice to be heard. "Dad said he made some assumptions and the two of you got into a bad fight. He regretted it."
"I'm sure he did," Mr. James' says with a sarcastic bite in his tone. "Back then, he tried to play the 'I'm just trying to help you' bullshit. I didn't need help."
"You just needed him to love you back, and he didn't," I say gently.
"He played me."
"I believe you believe that."
