Page 135 of For Wrath and Redemption
“Thousands of dollars wasted on you.”
I gasp, whipping my attention back to Conrad. Rage simmers in my vision, making everything blurry on the edges.
“The kidney?” I whisper, and Jonah huffs a laugh.
“Kidney. Cord blood and bone marrow before that. Too bad I couldn’t donate my brain too, right, Dad?”
The men stare at each other, two sides of the same coin. Jonah must look more like his mother, but he and Conrad have the same eyes. The same sharp jaw. The same incinerating wrath.
“You know the sad part?” Jonah blinks, and a single tear rolls down his cheek. “I’d have done it, if I could. If I had to kill myself to save him, I’d have done it. For fucking years, you had me convinced that was all Iwas good for. That Theo’s life was my only purpose. I believed it so strongly that when he died, part of me died, too.”
My heart breaks for him. I want to hold him and protect him. To have lived with this his whole life? And his middle name...it seems so sinister now. I reach up and press my hand to Jonah’s cheek.
“Hey,” I whisper, willing him to look at me, to look away from his father, a man who has never seen his worth, and at me, the woman who loves him. I open my mouth to tell him.I love you. You matter to me. I love you.But Conrad speaks, and I snap.
“You should have.”
I whirl on him, my open palm landing right on his cheek with a loud crack. I raise my other hand in a fist with every intention of aiming a jab to his nose, but I’m yanked back into Jonah’s chest. He wraps firm arms around me and says something, something likedon’t, but I barely hear him through the sound of my racing heart. I thrash against his hold and keep my glare fixed on Conrad as he takes an aggressive step toward me.
“You feral bitch.”
“You vile excuse for a human being.” I practically growl the insult. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re disgusting. You disgust me.”
His eyes narrow, then he smirks. “You didn’t think I was disgusting when you were in my bed moaning my name.”
The comment makes my stomach roil and stokes my rage. I want to rip that smirk off his face and shove it down his throat.
“Not a single one of those moans were real,” I say with a sneer. “You’re just as pathetic a lay as you are a parent.”
“Stop, Claire.”
Jonah’s voice is a whisper in my hair as his arms tighten around me, but I can’t take my eyes off Conrad.
“I’m so pathetic that you move on to my disgrace of a son? It just serves as proof that you’re looking for a payout. Even if you get yourself pregnant or cry sexual harassment, you’ll get no money from this family.”
I give Conrad a grin so maniacal, I’m sure I look psychotic.
“I didn’t move on to your son for his money, Conrad. I did it becausehe has a bigger dick and actually knows how to make me come, you selfish, arrogant, evil, tiny little excuse for a man.”
His nostrils flare, and his entire face flushes so crimson, the handprint from my slap disappears.
“I will ruin you.”
“Fucking try it. I’ll tell everyone how you prey on new hires. How you manipulated me and lied to me. Every dirty detail, every damning thing I know, I’ll tell all of it to everyone who will listen.”
“No one will believe you. Especially not when they learn you’re a gold-digging whore who fucked my son when you realized I wouldn’t marry you. Your reputation will be ruined. You’ll never be able to show your face in New York City again.”
Jesus Christ, what is it about these men and calling me a whore? I bark out a laugh.
“I don’t care what lies you try to sell about me. I’ll take a torch to my whole fucking life if it means you’ll burn with it.”
When he doesn’t respond right away, I know I’ve won. He’s terrified. The only thing Conrad Henderson cares about is his reputation. Bad press? He’d never let that happen. It’s the whole reason he asked me to come work with Jonah. Not because he was worried about his son. Because he was worried about himself.
I hate him.
I lean into that hatred and force a smile.
“Get the fuck out of here, or I’ll start calling every news station in New York.”
