Page 86 of Cold and Broken (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 1)

“Mason heard a rumor that Margaux slept with admissions supervisors for Columbia and NYU,” Lev adds.

“Wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Her grades suck and she doesn’t take school seriously at all. Sex is the only way she’ll get in anywhere. “We should make sure the video gets leaked to every school she applied to as well.”

“Unfortunately Margaux’s already 18 so we can’t get Jameson in legal trouble but with this video it’ll be hard for him to get another teaching job. Hopefully it’ll keep him from preying on other teenage girls,” Griff says pensively.

“Let’s meet Tuesday night to set everything up for Wednesday,” I say as the pilot brings us to the ground.

Griff gives Lilith’s hand a squeeze before letting go. For being as possessive and jealous as I am, I’m glad to see that my two best friends, brothers really, care so deeply for my girlfriend. I oddly do not really have any hard lines that they could cross with her as long as their intentions are good.

I reach over and pull her headset off. I press my lips to hers and revel in the sigh of contentment she makes right as I pull away.

“Lily, we’re home.” I kiss her again.

Her eyes flutter open heavily. I unbuckle her straps as she yawns.

“You’d think someone kept me up all weekend.” She smiles like a cat that got the cream. “Kept me up all weekend doing all sorts of delicious things to my body.”

My dick twitches at her husky innuendo and I smile back at her as I help her out.

Lev and Griff already have all the bags in the back of the SUV. Ivy and Lilith go in the third row. Griff and I take the middle two seats and Lev sits in the front. Lev and Ivy are dropped off first, then Griff, then Lilith and I.

Edward meets us at the door with one of the butler assistants to grab our bags. After a short exchange of pleasantries Lilith goes up to her room to shower and I do the same. I fully intend to have her in my bed tonight so I have some straightening up to do.

I notice Victor’s bedroom door is open a crack and I hear his raised voice carrying down the hall. He does not raise his voice often so I creep down the hall silently and stand against the wall. I recognize my uncle Ivan’s voice over the speaker phone. They’re speaking in Russian so it has to be something business related.

“We need to move on this, Ivan,” Victor says.

“No,” Ivan says. “We need to hold off. Surely they wouldn’t seriously come after you or Connor at a charity gala.”

“Wouldn’t they? They took out an EU representative in broad daylight last month.”

“That was different. It’s politics,” Ivan scoffs.

“I’m not going to take chances with Connor’s life. He might think I’m a shit father but I love him way too much to risk him, especially when he’s all I have left,” Victor says.

The fuck?

I might be the only one currently living with him but he definitely still has Claire. Mom hasn’t divorced his sorry, cheating ass yet either.

“He wouldn’t think you are shit father if you would tell him the truth about his mom.”

“He’ll find out on his own. You know I don’t defend myself to anyone, especially when I’ve done nothing wrong. I need to go. I want you to look through the files I sent again and tell me after that if you think we should sit and wait.”

“Fine.” Ivan sighs audibly. “I doubt it will change my mind but I’ll do it.”

I haul ass down to my room before Victor sees that I was eavesdropping. What the fuck was Ivan talking about? Could I have things wrong in my head about why mom left? Here are the facts that I know. Mom and Victor had a huge ass fight six months ago. Mom moved to Ireland and took Claire. The same day they left one of our younger maids quit suddenly. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the series of events leading to all this.

I pulled away from my thoughts by my phone vibrating on the night stand.

Lilith: I’m going 2 stay in tonight and watch the game w my dad.

Damn. I was hoping to lure her here for the night. At least we’ll have Tuesday through Thursday nights together.

Me: Ok. Have fun w ur dad

Lilith: I’ll b thinking about u tho

“How was your trip?” Victor asks from the door. He’s holding a manilla envelope in one hand.

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