Page 40 of Shattered Union

"Da!" I hear yelled, followed by screeching, and I sigh. No doubt Zoe's being a fucking bitch again. "Da," Chloe yells and I get to my feet and move out of my office and see Chloe standing in the hallway. "Make her stop," she cries, tears streaming down her face.

"What the hell is going on?" I demand, my voice vibrating with anger, when I see Zoe standing at the foot of the stairs with a bloody smirk on her face.

"She's telling me I'm not allowed to go to dance class anymore. She's forbidding me," Chloe sobs harder, her little body wracking with the force of them.

"Zoe, what the fuck are you playing at?" I hiss at the bitch.

She doesn't give a fuck; her arms are crossed over her chest as she glares at me. Since she's told Callie we're married, she's been smugger than usual. I found out she followed me to Callie's one night. That's how she managed to do her fucking sneak attack.

"Don't start with me, Denis. I'm not letting my daughter go to the place where your whore is."

Chloe comes to stand beside me. "What is she talking about, Da?"

Zoe laughs. "Oh, didn't your father tell you? That slut who brought you home a while back. She's been fucking your dad."

The blood drains from my daughter's face. She glances between her mother and me before shaking her head and running from the house. Within seconds I hear a car engine start up and I know she's safe. It's Michael's car. He'll be with her until I finish in here with this cunt.

"You're a vile bitch, Zoe. Do you get off on hurting your kids?"

She lifts her chin. "I can do whatever the fuck I want to. They're my kids. Denis. Mine. Not yours."

This is her new thing. Now I know everything, she's no longer keeping up pretenses. She says they're her kids and hers alone.

Danny and Melissa are close to finding the flash drive. They've narrowed it down to a bank. Now they're trying to figure out what name she has it under. Once we do, we'll be able to figure out how the hell we can get it.

"Get out," I snap at her. Pissed that I can’t wrap my hands around her throat and snap her scrawny neck.

She grins. "With fucking pleasure. I'll be back next week." She turns on her heel and saunters out of the house.

I realise I was played, yet again. She picked a fight with Chloe so I'd intervene and she'd get to go off and fuck some poor unsuspecting sap. Once I hear her car purr to life, I take the stairs two at a time and go to Mary's bedroom. My youngest daughter is wide awake and blowing bubbles in her cot.

I reach in and take her out, kissing her chubby cheeks as I move over to the changing table. I get rid of the dirty nappy, clean her, and put clean clothes on her. "Shall we go see your baby brother?" I ask, and she grins wider at me.

Mary's seventeen months old and she's a quiet child. Never one to roar or cry, unlike her younger brother. Mary is calm and collected, just like her brother, Malcolm.

"Ga-Ga," she babbles as we enter Gareth's room.

I set Mary down on the floor and go about changing my son. Once he's cleaned and ready, I carry the two of them downstairs and pass them to Moira, their nanny. She’s been with the family since Holly was a child and is part of our family. She, just like the rest of us, despises Zoe.

I need to go to Chloe and explain things to her. I keep forgetting she's no longer a kid. That she understands a lot more than I or her mother gives her credit for.

I move through the house and into the garage. Once I turn on the engine, I call Michael. "Mike, tell me she's okay?"

"She's grand, boss. She instructed me to bring her to O'Hara's here by the shopping centre. As soon as she walked in, she spotted Callie and lost it. Your woman went straight to her, held her, and whispered so only she could hear. Now Chloe's sitting at the bar, shooting the shit with Callie's friend."

I blink. "Fuck, how long was I?"

Michael chuckles. "Not long, just your woman seems to make miracles."

I smile. "I'm on my way, I'll be there in less than ten."

"Sounds good. How were things when you left?" he questions, and I know he's asking whether Zoe's still alive.

"She's gone for the week. I don't know where and don't fucking care. As long as she's far away from me and the kids. The further the better."

"Keep your cool, boss. It won't be long now until you can get rid of the wicked witch and have the princess in your bed."

"Princess?" I question, wondering why the hell he's calling Callie that.

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