Page 50 of Embrace
“They were here before you arrived. But now they’re not.”
“Ha! Are you implying that you’re responsible for their departure? Because you’re definitely responsible for them being here.” My accusation hung in the air.
“Humph,” she said then watched me with a tight smile. Julia was assessing me, choosing what she would say next carefully.
“Asher, I promise, I never contacted the press.”
My face tightened. “I don’t believe you.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “To each his own. But don’t you want to know where I work?”
“Not really.”
“Here at the hospital.”
I let out a bitter laugh. If that was the case, then the fix was easy. “You’re fired.”
She sucked a sharp breath of air between her teeth before she sighed. “Bryn.”
Oh… I recognized the tone. The time had come. Julia was on the verge of dropping a bomb. My jaw tightened as I braced myself for impact. “What about Bryn?”
“I know how much you love your sister. And listen, I heard about all the remarkable steps she’s taking to change her unremarkable life.” She smiled to take credit for her insult.
“What. About. Bryn?”
“Before my father was set up byyourbrother and sent to prison, he left me a goodie basket. And I have all the proof I need against Bryn Christmas. As you know and I know, she was the one who was dealing drugs at her college and yours. She hired her own chemist to change your highly addictive and synthetic compound. And she made your—oh my god.” She closed her eyes, pressing he fingers against her temples. “What was it? I remembered it. It’s so fascinating, how smart you people are. It was Xynalycophene Yellow.”
I felt all the tension drop out of my face.How the fuck did Arthur know that?We all knew he had something on Randolph.Was that it?
“That was why your father had Bryn pulled out of college after her freshman year. Or was it Jasper who did the pulling? He’s always been your real daddy, hasn’t he? I wouldn’t be surprised if he fucked Amelia. I mean, they were just so weirdly close.”
Speechless, I shook my head.
“But nobody has to know what Bryn did if Jasper wants to deal.”
Finally, we were getting to the point of her showing up in New Orleans and scheming herself into a job in my hospital. I folded my arms. “What do you want?”
“My father’s innocent of all charges.” Uncertainty flashed in her eyes when she said that.
A bitter laugh escaped me. “Have you consulted with your brother?”
“He’s a peon. Your father was the pervert, not mine. Your brother ruined his life, and mine.”
I couldn’t stop shaking my head. I hadn't thought about Julia since I became Jake Sparrow. But I wasn't surprised she was still singing the hymn of her father’s innocence. But I wasn't invested in what Julia believed. I could give a damn. There was one thing for certain, he was a rapist and murderer, and it wasn’t just Jasper who would make sure Arthur Valentine would die in prison for his crimes, but Spencer and me as well. There was something else going on inside me. The longer I observed her sameness and smelled her syrupy perfume, the less angry I became.
“Get out of my office, Julia.” I would’ve called HR and security right then and there and had her fired and thrown off the premises, but I had to consult Jasper first. So far, we had gone virtually untouched by my father’s sins. Thanks to my brothers’ efforts, the public had never held us accountable. But the cover-up and Bryn’s fuckup could make us all look rotten to the core. She had been young and rebellious back then. I had to do whatever it took to make sure her actions didn’t come back to bite her and me in the ass.
Julia’s smirk revealed that she knew she had me in checkmate, at least for now.
“I want my penthouse, and I’ll keep my job,” she said as if she had no doubt I would give her what she wanted. Then she took a few steps forward to stand right in front of me. Her breath smelled the same, turning my stomach.
Then, to my fucking surprise, she squeezed my cock. “And I want your golden dick.” She sighed as though touching me was getting her off.
I gripped her wrist, wishing I could crush the bone. “Don’t you ever fucking touch me. That’s reserved for your sister.”
There it was, the flash of anger—no, it was rage—in her eyes. “Let go of me,” she said with clenched teeth and tried to snatch her wrist out of my grasp.
I wasn’t ready to let go yet. “You should walk away while you still have the shit you own.” Then I let go of her.
