Page 108 of Black Ties and White Lies

He lets out a surprised grunt, his beady eyes flashing with fear. “What the fuck,” he growls, attempting to shove me off.

His attempts are pathetic. He’s got no muscle on me. I could keep him pressed against the wall for as long as I desired.

“Did you think you wouldn’t have to pay for all the trouble you’ve caused?” I growl, looking down my nose at him.

His mouth opens and closes like a fucking fish. How the hell are we related?

I pull my fist back, my knuckles connecting with his jaw with a loudsmack.

He yelps like a child. As quick as it happened, I let go and take a few steps back, stretching my fingers at my side. “That’s for scaring, Margo,” I seethe. “And touching what’smine.”

I look to his desk. “Sit.”

Carter looks at me manically. “You just assaulted me,” he screeches.

I roll my eyes, unbuttoning my jacket and taking a seat inhisoffice chair. He glares at me when he takes a seat in the small chair on the other side of his desk.

“That punch was nothing compared to what I want to do to you.”

He rubs his jaw dramatically. “Say what you came to say.”

I smile. “You know me so well.”

He watches me cautiously. I don’t blame him. I’ve had time for my anger to marinate. It would’ve fared far better for him if I’d just taken my anger out on him at the engagement party. This isfarworse. I’ve had time to plan what I’ll do to keep my brother far a-fucking-way from the woman I love. Plus, he’s got to pay for the rest of his actions as well.

“On with it,” he pushes, sitting back in his chair.

My eyes roam over his tiny office. It’s unkept and quite frankly gross. There’s a takeout box that has to be days old as well as gum wrappers. He’s grown-ass man. He should take care of his space more. What if a client had come to see him?

“I’m going to cut right to the chase,” I begin. “I don’t want to spend any more time here than I have to.”

His only response is a grunt.

“For starters, if you ever fuckingthinkabout touching my future wife again, that punch will be nothing compared to what I’ll do to you.”

“She deserved to know your lies,” he spits.

My fingers steeple underneath my chin. “You’re right. But that doesn’t concern you. Going forward, nothing about Margo should concern youeveragain.”

“That seems like that’s up to her, not you.”

“One thing I can guarantee is the fact Margo never wants to see you again.”

“And how will you stop me if I decide I’m not done with her?”

This makes me smile. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and scroll until I find what I need. I lay my phone out on the desk between us, directing his attention to it. “Because if you even think about speaking with her again, I’ll have no choice but bring all the debt you’ve developed to light.”

Carter’s eyes go wide with fear. He snatches the phone from the desk, scrolling through all the proof I have of his immense gambling debts. “How did you find out?” he says accusingly.

“Threaten what’s mine and I’ll discover every dirty secret you have. Don’t ever forget that.”

He continues to scroll through what I have on him. I had to admit, when I realized just how in debt he was, I was shocked myself. If there was anything my father hated, it was men who gambled their money away. As teenagers, we’d get lectures from Dad to never risk losing money. “Why gamble when you could invest wisely?”he’d say. The warnings stuck with me, but apparently not with Carter.

I hadn’t expected for Carter to develop a nasty little habit of doing it. I especially didn’t expect him to gamble away almost every dollar to his name—including the generous inheritance from our father. Mine still sits in the account, completely untouched. Carter’s is almost depleted, and he’s had his far less time than I’ve had mine.

Reaching across the desk, I pluck the phone from his hands and tuck it back into my pocket. “I don’t want to see your fucking face again unless it’s at a family function. And even then, I’m allowing your pathetic presence for our parents and our parentsonly. Don’t talk to me. Especially don’t talk to Margo. Or I’ll have to let Dad know of how much of a disappointment his younger son is. It’d be tragic really, considering how much of a let-down you already are to him.”

Any nasty remark he wants to say to me is left unsaid. The fury still rages in his eyes. At least he’s not dumb enough to say any of the thoughts running through his head.

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